<p>There are two primary reasons why the planets were named after Roman Gods.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Language</strong> - the early astronomers in Europe wrote in Latin, and Latin was the language of the Roman Empire. So they ended up naming the planets after Roman gods</li>
<li><strong>Religion</strong> - Ancient Romans were heavily devoted towards gods and religion and they thought that the gods and goddesses controlled every aspect of life, even creation of these celestial objects.</li>
</ol>
<p>Even in modern times, the IAU has adopted this tradition in its rules for naming celestial objects in the solar system:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Uranus and Neptune were discovered after the telescope was invented
in the early 1600s and the discoverers wanted to name them after them
or some king. Ultimately, they settled with naming them after gods.
Please check the full history <a href="https://www.history.com/news/who-named-the-planets" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>For recently discovered natural satellites, they are first given a
&quot;provisional&quot; or temporary name while additional observations are
made to confirm their existence. This temporary name (usually
consisting of the year of discovery and some number indicating the
order of discovery in that year) is assigned by an organization
called the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT). Once the
existence of the object is confirmed (and its orbit determined), it
is given a final name. The name is suggested by the discoverer(s),
but the tradition is however followed.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>References</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/general/how-do-planets-get-their-names-we-asked-a-nasa-scientist-episode-45/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.nasa.gov/general/how-do-planets-get-their-names-we-asked-a-nasa-scientist-episode-45/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question48.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question48.html</a></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-26T04:31:13.977Z
2023-11-26T04:31:13.977Z
Nilay Ghosh
<p>I’ve looked this up, but not necessarily sure the internet has the right answer.  Why are the planets in our solar system named after Roman gods, except Earth,  and why is only one of the nine planets a female?  Interestingly, Mercury, according the internet &quot;serves as the guide of souls to the underworld” and Pluto, which was, but is no longer a planet, was named after the Roman God of the underworld.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-25T20:47:05.497Z
The five naked-eye-visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) were named long before anyone realised that they were the same type of object as the Earth. The other planets were discovered later, but were named after Roman gods to match the names of the already-known ones (although there there was apparently a shortlived plan to name Uranus after George III)
JayFor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-25T22:53:03.683Z
This is a question about [mythology.se]. not astronomy.    But Terra was a goddess of the Roman pantheon.  It just happens that the English word for Earth comes from the germanic, not from Latin.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-26T04:33:39.433Z
The alternative name of Earth is [Terra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra) which is a Latin name as well as a primeval Roman goddess. But we usually stick with Earth.
Nilay Ghosh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-26T19:32:21.120Z
Genesis 1:1 - in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth….  In the Hebrew the word earth is  "אֶרֶץ" (eretz, sometimes pronounced earth).  This predates the Romans.
eshaya
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-29T15:39:11.997Z
@eshaya The word "earth" derives eventually from the proto-indo-european stem "er-" or "erd", meaning ground or soil, so there are cognates across a huge swath of the planet. The english word derives most directly from proto-germanic "ertho". We live on the planet Dirt.
Darth Pseudonym
<planet><earth><history><naming>
Planets Named After Roman Gods, Except Earth
allthings27
# Planets Named After Roman Gods, Except Earth

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-11-25)

I’ve looked this up, but not necessarily sure the internet has the right answer. Why are the planets in our solar system named after Roman gods, except Earth, and why is only one of the nine planets a female? Interestingly, Mercury, according the internet "serves as the guide of souls to the underworld” and Pluto, which was, but is no longer a planet, was named after the Roman God of the underworld.

**Tags:** planet, earth, history, naming

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The five naked-eye-visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) were named long before anyone realised that they were the same type of object as the Earth. The other planets were discovered later, but were named after Roman gods to match the names of the already-known ones (although there there was apparently a shortlived plan to name Uranus after George III)  
> **username_2**: This is a question about [mythology.se]. not astronomy.    But Terra was a goddess of the Roman pantheon.  It just happens that the English word for Earth comes from the germanic, not from Latin.  
> **username_3**: The alternative name of Earth is [Terra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra) which is a Latin name as well as a primeval Roman goddess. But we usually stick with Earth.  
> **username_4**: Genesis 1:1 - in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth….  In the Hebrew the word earth is  "אֶרֶץ" (eretz, sometimes pronounced earth).  This predates the Romans.  
> **username_5**: @username_4 The word "earth" derives eventually from the proto-indo-european stem "er-" or "erd", meaning ground or soil, so there are cognates across a huge swath of the planet. The english word derives most directly from proto-germanic "ertho". We live on the planet Dirt.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2023-11-26. Score: 3

There are two primary reasons why the planets were named after Roman Gods.

1. **Language** - the early astronomers in Europe wrote in Latin, and Latin was the language of the Roman Empire. So they ended up naming the planets after Roman gods
2. **Religion** - Ancient Romans were heavily devoted towards gods and religion and they thought that the gods and goddesses controlled every aspect of life, even creation of these celestial objects.

Even in modern times, the IAU has adopted this tradition in its rules for naming celestial objects in the solar system:

* Uranus and Neptune were discovered after the telescope was invented
  in the early 1600s and the discoverers wanted to name them after them
  or some king. Ultimately, they settled with naming them after gods.
  Please check the full history [here](https://www.history.com/news/who-named-the-planets).
* For recently discovered natural satellites, they are first given a
  "provisional" or temporary name while additional observations are
  made to confirm their existence. This temporary name (usually
  consisting of the year of discovery and some number indicating the
  order of discovery in that year) is assigned by an organization
  called the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT). Once the
  existence of the object is confirmed (and its orbit determined), it
  is given a final name. The name is suggested by the discoverer(s),
  but the tradition is however followed.

**References**

1. <https://www.nasa.gov/general/how-do-planets-get-their-names-we-asked-a-nasa-scientist-episode-45/>
2. <https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question48.html>


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