• Question: how were planets name

    Asked by 379sptm42 to Ollie, Guy, Christine, Angus on 3 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Angus Gallie

      Angus Gallie answered on 3 Mar 2018:

      I believe the five planets which could be seen with the naked eye, before telescopes were invented (Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury) were given their names by the Romans, named after their gods. The other main planets Uranus and Neptune, which were discovered much later with telescopes I think also got there names from Roman gods.

    • Photo: Guy Rixon

      Guy Rixon answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      Here’s a list of names of planets around other stars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_named_exoplanets

      Some of them have names from Greek and Latin myths – following on from the planets and asteroids in our own solar system – but quite a lot are named after famous astronomers…and one engineer in astronomy.

Comments

  • Photo: Hermine

    Hermine commented on :

    All the planets in our solar system have names from Greek or Roman mythology. This tradition was continued when Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were discovered in more modern times. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) dictates whether or not something qualifies as a planet and what the planet can be called.