The International Astronomical Union (IAU), is an organization of professional astronomers from all over the world. The IAU is more than 100 years old, and the astronomer members are committed to research and education. One of the most important jobs of the IAU is to decide how planets, stars, and other objects in space should be named.
Astronomers have been looking at some of the planets in our solar system for thousands of years. The ancient Greek astronomers named the planets they could see with the naked eye after some of their gods and goddesses. They named the planets Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, and Cronus. Then the Romans began calling the planets by their Roman equivalent names of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and those are the names we still use today.
In 1781, with the help of a telescope, English astronomer William Herschel found another planet. Following the pattern of naming planets after Roman gods, it was eventually named Uranus. Finally, in 1846, English mathematician John Couch Adams and French mathematician Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier found another planet at the same time. Ultimately, this planet was named Neptune after the Roman god of the sea because of its blue tint.
Sources: Astonomy.com, NASA
All of the books in this section are available through Hoopla at the St. Louis County Library.
Mercury: Mercury is the Roman messenger god. (His Greek name is Hermes.) He is also the god of roads, travel, money, property, merchants, and wealth. He has winged sandals, and he is a trickster god and thief. Mercury is the son of Jupiter (king of the gods) and Maia (goddess of the plains).
Hermes by
Introduces the Greek god Hermes and explains his importance; features well-known Greek myths about this god; and includes map of ancient Greece and family tree of the Greek gods.
Venus: Venus is the Roman goddess of fertility, love, beauty, and gardens. (Her Greek name is Aphordite.) Her parents are Uranus and Gaia, and she was born fully grown out of the foam of the Mediterranean Sea. She married Vulcan, the blacksmith god, but she was unfaithful and took many lovers. She is the mother of Cupid, the Roman god of love, as well as Aeneas, a legendary founder of Rome.
Aphrodite by
Introduces the Greek goddess Aphrodite and explains her importance; features well-known Greek myths about this goddess; and includes a map of ancient Greece and a family tree of the principal Greek gods. Additional features to aid comprehension include a table of contents, informative sidebars, a list of Greek characters introduced in the text, a list of equivalent Roman gods and goddesses, sources for further research including websites, an index, and an introduction to the author and illustrator.
Mars: Mars is the Roman god of war and the son of Jupiter and Juno. (His Greek name is Ares.) He is considered to be the father of the Romans because his son, Romulus, is one of the legendary founders of Rome.
Ares by
Introduces the Greek god Ares and explains his importance; features well-known Greek myths about this god; and includes a map of ancient Greece and a family tree of the principal Greek gods. Additional features to aid comprehension include a table of contents, informative sidebars, a list of Greek characters introduced in the text, a list of equivalent Roman gods and goddesses, sources for further research including websites, an index, and an introduction to the author and illustrator.
Jupiter: Jupiter is the Roman ruler of the gods, and he is the god of the sky, rain, thunder, and lightning. (His Greek name is Zeus.) He is the son of the god Saturn, but he overthrew his father to become the ruler of the gods.
Zeus by
Introduces the Greek god Zeus and explains his importance; features well-known Greek myths about this god; and includes a map of ancient Greece and a family tree of the principal Greek gods. Additional features to aid comprehension include a table of contents, informative sidebars, a list of Greek characters introduced in the text, a list of equivalent Roman gods and goddesses, sources for further research including websites, an index, and an introduction to the author and illustrator.
Saturn: Saturn is the Roman god of agriculture, and he married Ops, the goddess of plenty. (His Greek name is Cronus.) Together they had several children including Juno, Neptune, Pluto, and Ceres.
The Battle of the Olympians and the Titans by
Cronus, a giant Titan, is obsessed with power, and he goes to great lengths to preserve it. However his own sons may be his downfall when an epic battle between the Olympians and Titans explodes. Will Cronus lose his precious power?
Uranus: Uranus is the Greek god of the heavens, and he married Gaea, the goddess of the earth. He was father to the Titans, Cyclopses, and the 100-handed giants.
Roman Mythology by
The gods and goddesses of Roman mythology have long been a source of inspiration for modern stories and art, even comic book superheroes. You'll be astounded by these larger-than-life figures from ancient times. This title supports multiple reading standards; reading closely for explicit meaning and inferences, while citing specific textual evidence to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Neptune: Neptune is the Roman god of the sea and son of Saturn and Ops. (His Greek name is Poseidon.) His siblings include Jupiter, Pluto, Juno, and Ceres.
Poseidon by
Introduces the Greek god Poseidon and explains his importance; features well-known Greek myths about this god; and includes map of ancient Greece and family tree of the Greek gods.
A dwarf planet is a round object that is smaller than a planet and orbits only the sun. The IAU currently recognizes five dwarf planets in our solar system, however many more objects have been discovered that could one day be classified as dwarf planets.
Ceres: Ceres is the Roman goddess of agriculture. Each winter, her daughter, Proserpine, joins Pluto in the underworld, and crops die. When Proserpine returns to Ceres in the spring, crops once again grow.
Pluto: Pluto is the Roman god of the dead. After helping his brothers Jupiter and Neptune overthrow their father, Saturn, each brother chose a realm over which to rule. Pluto chose the underworld, and in addition to being the god of the dead, he is also considered to be the bestower of the blessings hidden underground. As a result, he is also known as the giver of wealth.
Haumea: Haumea is the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, and she is also associated with the earth and 'ulu tree.
Makemake: Makemake is the Rapanui god of fertility. The Rapanui are the native people of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Eris: Eris is the Greek goddess of strife and discord and sister to Ares, the Greek god of war. She is best known for the role she played in starting the Trojan War.
Sources: Britanica, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, NASA, University of Hawai'i
A constellation is a collection of stars that appear to form a pattern or picture. Although there are hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy, only a few thousand stars are visible with the naked eye. These are the stars that make up the pictures in the constellations, and the stories behind the constellations come from Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern mythology. Currently, the International Astronomical Union recognizes 88 official constellations. Among them are:
Learn more about constellations at NASA's Space Place and International Astronomical Union.
Sources: Lunar and Planetary Institute, NASA
Moons are named by the International Astronomical Union, and the astronomers select names based on mythological characters from around the world. Moons around each planet or dwarf planet tend to be named according to a theme.
For a complete list of moons in our solar system, please see NASA's Moon Facts page.
Currently, there are more than 1.3 million known asteroids. Following the tradition of naming objects in space after mythological characters, the early asteroids, which were discovered in the 1800s, were named after characters in Greek mythology. The first ten were named: Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, Astraea, Hebe, Iris, Flora, Metis, and Hygiea. By the mid 1850s, other names were used including those of Egyptian deities and influential people. Today, the International Astronomical Union maintains a set of rules that asteroid discoverers must follow when naming an asteroid. To learn more about how asteroids are named, please explore the links below.
Sources: steroidDay.org, NASA
National Geographic Kids Everything Mythology by
National Geographic Everything Mythology is jam packed with fascinating facts and awe-inspiring imagery that brings your favorite fierce mythological heroes to life, introducing kids to gods of ancient worlds, including Greek, Norse, Chinese, America Indian, African cultures, and more. Packed with facts, colorful illustrations, and infused with humor, this fun journey through ancient lore will keep kids fascinated with every turn of the page. National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources. Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.