Artemis was named after the Greek goddess of the hunt. J. Lee Lehman associates this
asteroid with the psychological urges evoked by “the hunt”—hunting, killing, and eat-
ing. Jacob Schwartz gives the astrological significance of Artemis as “relating to child-
birth, animal husbandry, hunting and devouring as a form of emotional absorption
and transmutation.”Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Ultimate Asteroid Book.West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1988.
Room, Adrian. Dictionary of Astronomical Names.London: Routledge, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.ARTHUR
Arthur, asteroid 2,597 (the 2,597th asteroid to be discovered, on August 8, 1980), is
approximately 20 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 5.2 years. Arthur
was named after the semi-mythic king of England. The Celtic artosmeans “bear.”
According to J. Lee Lehman, the person in whose natal chart this asteroid is promi-
nent is a “hero who presides. The heroic nature of this asteroid comes from properly
executing the duty of assigning someone else the job of the quest.” Jacob Schwartz
gives the astrological significance of Arthur as “heroism and cleverness, and delegat-
ing authority, with support from the public.”Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Ultimate Asteroid Book.West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.ASCENDANT(RISINGSIGN)
The ascendant, also called the rising sign, is the sign of the zodiac (or, more technical-
ly, the specific degree of the zodiac) that was on the eastern horizon at the moment for
which a horoscope was cast (calculated and drawn). On a zodiacal wheel, the ascen-
dant is the sign at the nine o’clock position. In a natal chart, the ascendant indicates a
significant influence on the personality; only the Sun and Moon exert stronger influ-
ences. These three signs—the ascendant, the sun sign, and the moon sign—are con-
sidered together when someone with a knowledge of astrology beyond sun signs briefly
describes her or his astrological makeup (e.g., “I’m a Libra with Moon in Cancer and
Leo rising”). The astrologically informed listener then knows that the speaker, while
primarily a Libra, is also sensitive and moody like a Cancer and will also come across
as a Leo in certain settings.
When either the Moon or the ascendant is in the same sign as the Sun, the per-
son is said to be a double sign. If in the foregoing example, for instance, the native had
been born when the Moon was in Libra instead of Cancer, the person would be referredArthur
[52] THEASTROLOGYBOOK