- Have you ever wondered about the names of things around you? Who named them and why?

All of the planets, except for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. They were named thousands of years ago.Of course here we will be focusing on the names of our  solar system planets, In order  Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune  and the so-called "Planet Nine," Pluto.

Lets keep in mind that Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury were given their names thousands of years as they saw and knew them in their sky they named them after the most important gods and goddesses, But after telescopes were invented the rest of the planets were discovered and also named after Greek and Roman Gods.

1- Mercury

"Swift Planet".The fastest planet in our solar system, It was named after the Roman messenger of the gods-Mercury- and he is one of the important gods. Mercury was named for the messenger god because it appears to move so swiftly across the sky, Mercury was also the God of travelers, According to myth, He had winged hat and sandals, so he could fly and travel fast.

2-Venus

Venus  "Morning star" or "Evening star", the brightest planet in the night sky, was named after the Roman goddess of sex, love, beauty and womanhood so the planet has a long standing tradition of being associated with women, It is believed Venus was named for the most beautiful of the ancient gods because it shone the brightest of the five planets known to ancient astronomers.

3- Earth

And for our Earth "the blue planet", it’s quite interesting to note that our planet is the only one that’s not named after either a Greek or Roman God\Goddess. The name Earth comes from the Old English word “eorðe” which simply means “soil”, “ground” or “land”. its name and refer to it as an actual noun, as if it’s an actual place - which it is. One of the earliest cases of Earth having a name is in the Bible.

-"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

4-Mars

For the "red planet" -Mars- has got its name from the Roman God of war as the reddish surface is often taken as the bloodshed from the war. For sure the Romans were great soldiers who and thought Mars was very important -after Jupiter-.  In truth, the Romans copied the ancient Greeks, who also named the planet after their god of war, Are.

and for sure there is no single person who is credited with the discovery of Mars, it can be seen without using a telescope or binoculars.

5-Jupiter

The largest planet, Was named after the king of the Roman Gods and Goddess, The name was ultimately derived from the Indo-European *Dyeu-pater, composed of the elements Dyeus (see ZEUS) and pater "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman mythology. Jupiter, who is also the god of the sky and of thunder. But why choose to name the planet Jupiter? It was the largest object in the sky; therefore the most powerful; therefore Jupiter.

6-Saturn

“The Ringed Planet” The second-largest planet in the Solar System. Saturn was named after the Roman god of agriculture "Saturnus", Saturn was also the god of time and this is perhaps why the slowest (in orbit around the Sun) of the five bright planets was named after him. The Romans identified him with the Greek Cronos, who identified their god with the Babylonian god Ea. The planet Saturn was “given” to Ea by the Babylonian priest-astrologers who came up with these identifications in the first place.

7-Uranus

"The bulls-eye planet", Astronomers decided to continue naming the planets after Roman Gods with one exception - Uranus. Uranus was named after the Greek god of the sky. Its name translated as the "sky king star" in many cultures , He was literally the sky. And after a journey of names at last -Johann Bode- suggested Uranus, because Saturn was the father of Jupiter, so why not name the next planet after Saturn’s father?

8-Neptune

The "Big blue planet". was named after the Roman god of the sea and water, The thing is after a history of disagreements on the name, Neptune was chosen because it found more acceptance, And lets point out the planet was initially called Le Verrier after its discoverer. This name, however, quickly was abandoned.

9-Pluto

The"Dwarf planet",And for the last "planet" in our solar system. it was named after the ruler of the underworld "god of death' in classical mythology. Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowelll Observatory in Arizona. Pluto got its name from an 11 year old girl named Venetia Burnley from Oxford in England (who was fascinated by mythology who suggested the name to her grandfather (who saw in the newspaper that the newly discovered planet was still nameless) who subsequently mentioned the name to Herbert Hall, Professor of astronomy at Oxford who then sent a telegram the Lowell Observatory in Arizona where Clyde Tombaugh agreed with the suggestion that it get its name from the Roman god of the underworld.

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