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Jul 26, 2023 · They had different names for them — names that we use now in English. These come from the Roman names. And that’s because the early astronomers in Europe wrote in Latin, and Latin was the language of the Roman Empire. So we ended up with these Roman names after the Roman gods — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Jun 8, 2023 · Early Mars missions sometimes took a whimsical route with nicknames, even using cartoon character names. “Yogi Rock,” “Casper,” and “Scooby-Doo” were among the unofficial names applied by the team behind NASA’s first rover, Sojourner, in the late 1990s.
Aug 28, 2015 · Romans named the solar system’s biggest planet, Jupiter, for the king of the Roman gods, while the reddish color of the planet Mars led them to name it after their god of war.
- Elizabeth Nix
- 2 min
Sep 26, 2023 · NASA is advancing many technologies to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s. Here are six things we are working on right now to make future human missions to the Red Planet possible. Learn More
- 6 min
- Mercury. Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet of the Solar System. Mercury is very difficult to view with the naked eye, due to its proximity to the sun, but it can be viewed indirectly during its transits.
- Venus. Venus is the second planet in the solar system and our closest celestial neighbor. Besides the moon, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky.
- Earth. Our humble abode, the blue marble, is the largest terrestrial planet and the fifth-largest planet in the solar system. Surprisingly, we disobeyed the Roman-Greek tradition when it came to naming our own planet.
- Mars. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and the second-smallest planet in the solar system. Like Venus, Mars is also readily visible to the naked eye.
Jun 8, 2023 · The difference between an official name on Mars and an unofficial one is seemingly simple: Official monikers have been approved by a body of scientists known as the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The IAU sets standards for naming planetary features and logs the names in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
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Why was Mars named after a Roman god?
Why did the Romans name the planet Ares?
Why did the Romans name the planet Mercury?
Why did ancient Romans name planets?
Jan 20, 2024 · The Babylonians called Mars Nergal after their god of death and plague. For Indians, Mars is the fire of heaven. The reddish glow of Helen was associated with blood spilled in war and they named this planet Ares after their god of war.
