If all of the planets are named after Roman Gods, why isn't Earth?

Question

If you had to name Earth after a Roman God, which one would it be?

Answer 1

Technically, Earth was named after a Greek goddess Gaia, whose name translates to "earth". The story goes that in the appearance of the first gods, Gaia arose and basically became the planet we know as Earth. Then she "brought forth" Uranus, the starry sky, to cover her. In other words, Gaia and Uranus were husband and wife and later had lots of children, one of whom was Cronus (Roman Saturn), the eventual father of Zeus (Roman Jupiter).
This is why when some people talk about the planet, they refer to it as Gaia or Mother Earth, seeing as from this stand-point, she is the mother of all.

Answer 2

There are two things to consider:

1. Earth was not considered a planetuntil around the time of Copernicus.

2. Actually, the name of Earth is Gaia, the mother goddess of ancient Greece. The Roman Gods are also adapted from the Greek gods.

Answer 3

Earth, I believe is a Greek word, the planets are Roman names for Greek gods

Answer 4

Earth is named after a Roman God! The proper name for our planet is not Earth! Our planet's name is Terra. It is named for the Roman Goddess Terra which means "Earth-Mother". We are not earthlings, we are Terrans! Have a nice day!

Answer 5

It may seem odd that the Earth, Moon, and Sun don't have other names, but if you think about it, it just reinforces their importance. For example, the Moon is not just any moon - it requires no other name since it's the most important moon (at least to humans). When we refer to the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun they are generally capitalized, to distinguish them from earth (soil), moon (any natural satelite) or sun (any other star). These terms are the English language usage approved by the International Astronomical Union, the body in charge of naming celestial objects. You may read or hear people using Luna for the Moon, or Terra or Gaia for the Earth, or Sol for the Sun, but in English-speaking countries, these are poetic terms, often seen in science fiction stories, but not used by astronomers in scientific writing. In some countries where Romance languages are spoken, these terms are the official names. It's also interesting to note that most astronomers do not call our galaxy the Milky Way in technical writing--they call it the Galaxy.

Answer 6

It already is, Terra Mater or "Mother Earth" was the Roman Goddess of Earth, its also where the name Terra for Earth came from, and the phrase Terraforming (changing the landscape) .

Answer 7

They were named in ancient times - their reality was that earth was the center of the universe. They didn't think of it as a planet. But they could see stars, and to them, some of the 'stars' floated around. In fact, planet is Greek for 'wandering star'.

Answer 8

Well because the Earth wasn't a heavenly body.If the romans had been on Mars then they would have named the Earth Mars.

Answer 9

well it would be a Greek Goddess and it would be ME :P



jk

idk prolly Athena...i like that name :)