• Question: how did the planets get there names?

    Asked by IslaM to Vicky F, stephaniebuttigieg, niamhtopping, emilywalls, christinaschoettler on 20 Oct 2025.
    • Photo: Niamh Topping

      Niamh Topping answered on 20 Oct 2025:

      Ancient astronomers in Roman times named Mars, Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter as these were the names of Roman gods (and we kept these names even after Latin died out). The outer planets of Neptune, Uranus and Pluto (technically not a planet!) are named after Roman or Greek gods, but they weren’t discovered by the Romans or Greeks (much more powerful telescopes were needed) but the scientists who discovered these planets wanted to keep with the theme and convention of naming them after gods.

    • Photo: Emily Walls

      Emily Walls answered on 22 Oct 2025:

      As Niamh said, it came from the Romans. More modern day approaches when we are discovering planets outside of our solar system (we call these exoplanets), the International Astronomical Union (IAU) uses a different system, they name them based on the telescope that discovered them and their order of discovery – slightly more boring in my opinion but it would be hard to keep track of ~6000 different names!

Comments

  • Photo: Andrew M

    Andrew M commented on :

    One of the curious things is how alike the characteristics of the Roman gods we use to name the planets are to the Babylonian gods they used to name the planets.
    Mercury = Nebo = Literacy, scribes etc.
    Venus = Ishtar = Love.
    Mars = Nergal = War (and pestillence for the W40K fans).
    Jupiter = Marduk = Chief god.
    Saturn = Ninip = Agriculture

    The Babylonians had a long and famous history of astronomy, well known across the ancient world, with the mathematics to back it up. It’s possible the latin names for the planets come from equation of the Babylonian gods with their Roman equivalents, probably via Greek intermediates. It would have had to have been fairly late, It took a while for Marduk to pay his dues, get his act together and work his way up the ranks. As to where the Babylonians got the names from; or why they decided the pale white-ish evening star reminded them of the goddess of war, love and fertility; or that little reddish planet of the god of untimely death; I’ve no idea.