How Did the Planets Get Their Names?
“How the Planets and Satellites Got Their Names Source: The U.S. Geological Survey MERCURY Named for the winged Roman god of travel because it appears to move so swiftly. VENUS Roman name for the goddess of love. This planet was considered to be the brightest and most beautiful planet or star in the heavens. EARTH The name Earth comes from the Indo-European base ‘er,’ which produced the Germanic noun ‘ertho,’ and ultimately German ‘erde,’ Dutch ‘aarde,’ Danish and Swedish ‘jord,’ and English ‘earth.’ Related forms include Greek ‘eraze,’ meaning ‘on the ground,’ and Welsh ‘erw,’ meaning ‘field.’ THE MOON: Every civilization has had a name for the satellite of Earth that is known, in English, as the Moon. The name is of Anglo-Saxon derivation. MARS Named by the Romans for their god of war because of its red, bloodlike color. Other civilizations also named this planet from this attribute; for example, the Egyptians named it â??Her Desher,â?? meaning â??the red one.â?? SATELLITES: Phobos (
Mercury moves very rapidly, and people saw in it the fast messenger of the gods. Venus draws a pentagram in the sky. Also, its brightness made many people associate it with femininity and love. Mars is a red colour, reminding people of blood and battle. Jupiter was known to be huge; this and its brightness made it a king among planets. Saturn is very distant, and seems cruel and mysterious for this reason. Uranus and Neptune were so named because these names fit in well with the others. Ceres (dwarf planet) was named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest. Ceres filled a missing place in the planetary system, and the search for it proved fertile (far-fetched, I know). Pluto (dwarf planet) was named so because of its evasiveness; it was not visible a lot, like the god of the underworld, who had a cloak that made him invisible. Sedna (dwarf planet) is so distant and cold, it was named after the Inuit goddess of the sea. Eris (dwarf planet) was named after the goddess of disco
We know there are nine planets. But in ancient times, people knew of only six: the earth and the five planets that can be seen without a telescope. Venus, the brightest planet in our sky, was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Mercury, the fastest- moving planet, was named after the fleet-footed messenger of the g
All of the planets, except for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and godesses. Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury were given their names thousands of years ago. The other planets were not discovered until much later, when telescopes were invented. The tradition of naming the planets after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses was carried on for the last three planet discovered as well. Mercury was named after the Roman god of travel. Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Mars was the Roman god of War. Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods, and Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture. Uranus was named after an ancient Greek king of the gods. Neptune was the Roman god of the Sea and Pluto, which is now classified as a dwarf planet, was the Roman god of the underworld. The name Earth is an English/German name which simply means the ground.
