Which planets did the Greeks observe?

Answer 1

The five classical planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. (Uranus is also said to be just barely visible to the naked eye, but those in the ancient world never noticed it.)

Answer 2

The Tenth Planet?
by Joe on Aug. 04th, 2005
in The Universe 112

comments

Add a new comment
Scientists using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory have discovered what they call a planet larger than Pluto in the far reaches of our solar system.

The planet, currently called 2003 UB313, is a trans-Neptunian object which means all or most if its orbit is beyond that of Neptune. The planet is a member of the Kuiper belt, which also claims Pluto and its satellite Charon as members.

A name for the new planet has been proposed by the scientists to the International Astronomical Union, but has not yet been approved until the IAU can determine the minimum size requirement for a planet.

Do you think 2003 UB313 is a planet? What would you name the 10th planet?

Answer 3

Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.

Anything in the sky (in the unchanging heavens, above the atmosphere) was an "aster" (from which we get the word "star".

Any star that moved over time, was a wandering star (aster planetes -- from which we got the word planet).

To the Greeks, the Sun and the Moon were planets because they appeared to move when compared to the fixed stars.

---

Because the heavens were supposed to be unchanging or, at the very least, predictable, anything that was sporadic or unpredictable was called a meteor (from a Greek expression meaning high in the air: "meteora"). Meteors include lightning, clouds, shooting stars...

The study of what goes on "high in the air" is called meteorology (and, in meteorology, clouds are called meteors).

It is near the end of the 19th century that astronomers (and, later in the 20th, radar operators) noticed that "shooting stars" were objects that came from space; these particular meteors have been passed on to astronomy since that time.

---

Sun and Moon lost their status as planets when the Kepler system was finally accepted (and the Earth became a planet).

Answer 4

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the rest were too faint to see without a telescope. Modern Greek astronomers are probably able to see Uranus, Neptune and Pluto too.

Answer 5

Don't forget that there are seven 'traditional' planets, that is things which move in the sky.

They counted the sun and the moon as well.

Answer 6

Just adding, they were named with Gods names.