Centaur Eurytus
Asteroid 463368 Eurytus is one of those obscure minor bodies that has so far received almost no attention from astrologers. Discovered only in 2012 and named in 2026, it has yet to appear in the usual asteroid ephemerides discussions or interpretive literature. Yet the circumstances of its discovery and the mythology behind its name offer a rich, nuanced symbolism that is well worth exploring.
Discovery Details
Eurytus was discovered on 14 November 2012 at Mount Graham, Arizona (Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, MPC code 290) by K. Černis and R. P. Boyle. The first observation was recorded at 14.27951 November 2012 UT (approximately 06:42:30 UT). The site coordinates are roughly 32°42′ N, 109°53′ W.
Importantly, this discovery occurred only 8–9 hours after the total solar eclipse of 13 November 2012. The eclipse New Moon fell at approximately 21° Scorpio, and the event chart (cast for the same location) shows a powerful Uranus-in-Aries square Pluto-in-Capricorn configuration tightly linked to the angles. That eclipse chart can reasonably be treated as an imprint chart for the asteroid.
The name was officially announced in WGSBN Bulletin Volume 6, #6 (13 April 2026).
The Myth
Eurytus (also called Eurytion) was a centaur who attended the wedding of the Lapith king Pirithous and Hippodamia. Becoming drunk, he attempted to abduct the bride, thereby sparking the famous battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths (the Centauromachy). He is portrayed as especially violent and was ultimately killed (or, in some versions, mutilated).
The myth therefore highlights themes of:
- Uncontrolled lust or desire overriding social norms and commitments
- Disruption of marriage, partnership, and civilized gatherings by base instincts
- Consequences of excess, impulsivity, and boundary violation
A More Nuanced Picture
While the classical story emphasises the destructive pole, the discovery eclipse itself points to a fuller spectrum of meaning. The New Moon at 21° Scorpio is conjunct the fixed star Unukalhai (α Serpentis), the “neck of the Serpent” held by Ophiuchus the healer.
Diana Rosenberg writes of the Serpens–Centaurus–Lupus region that those born under these stars, for all their refinement, sense the feral, savage level beneath the veneer of civilisation. They can be wilful, rash, headstrong and self-indulgent; the defiant nature of Hercules may lead to reckless speculation and its comeuppance. Yet there is also strong sexuality and hedonism, and “the great Serpent of physician/shaman Ophiuchus offers a powerful ability for self-renewal, should they choose to reach for it… There is a choice between the serpent of temptation and the serpent of healing.”
Nick Fiorenza’s work on the same sky area (including Unukalhai and β Centauri) describes a primordial, carnal force. When unmastered it can entrap; when refined it becomes a vehicle for intimate creativity, healing, spiritual growth and personal freedom. Sacred sexuality—participation in the carnal world with openness, honesty and mature awareness—opens a portal to divinity.
The Sabian Symbol for Scorpio 22 (21°–22°) is “Hunters starting out for ducks.” James Burgess interprets it as the assimilation of primitive instincts: the animal nature is aggressive and cannot be easily tamed, so it must somehow be accommodated within normal social behaviour.
Astrological Meaning of Eurytus
Taken together, the myth, the eclipse degree and the stellar environment suggest that Eurytus is not purely negative. It functions as a choice point or pressure point around primal desire, sexuality, instinct and social containment.
In a natal chart it may indicate:
- Places where raw instinct or sexual energy erupts in ways that disrupt relationships or social structures (the drunken centaur)
- Or places where those same energies, once recognised and integrated, become sources of profound personal transformation, creative vitality, sexual maturity or shamanic-style renewal (the Ophiuchus/Unukalhai dimension)
The Uranus–Pluto square in the discovery eclipse further colours the asteroid with themes of breaking free from rigid societal or relational rules that threaten individuality—often through sudden, intense or taboo-breaking means.
Like other Centaurs, Eurytus appears to bridge the animal and the human, the instinctual and the civilised. Its expression will depend heavily on the planets and houses it contacts, the aspects it receives, and the evolutionary level of the native.
Working with Eurytus
Because so little has been written about this body, interested researchers can begin by:
- Looking up its natal position
- Examining it in the charts of people whose lives visibly involve the tension between primal drive and social form
- Tracking its transits to personal planets, especially Venus, Mars, the Moon and the angles
- Comparing it with better-known Centaurs such as Nessus (which also carries themes of violation and consequence) and Chiron (the wounded healer)
The discovery eclipse chart itself rewards study: the New Moon on Unukalhai, the angular Uranus–Pluto square, and the overall Scorpio emphasis all provide a clear symbolic signature.
Eurytus invites us to look honestly at the wild force that lives beneath our cultivated selves—and to choose whether that force will remain a source of conflict or become an agent of renewal.
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