Who Was Saturn Named After?

History

• Saturn has been known as a star since ancient times. Ancient Greek astronomers noticed that the planetary stars moved across the sky faster than the rest of the stars. They assumed that the planets were sacred to the gods. Since Saturn was considered the outermost planet, it was considered sacred to the oldest of the gods. The Ancient Romans adopted the theory and renamed the stars with the names of Roman gods.

Significance

• In Roman mythology, Saturn was the god of agriculture. (He was known to the Greeks as Cronus.) In both mythologies, however, he is the father of the major ruling gods. The Romans believed that Saturn's rule over the gods marked a golden age in history. The last day of the week, Saturday was named in his honor. Saturnalia, the most popular Roman festival, was held in his honor.

Appearance

• Saturn is visible to the naked eye. It appears as a bright yellowish point of light.

Identification

• In 1610, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei first observed Saturn through a telescope, although he was confused as to what he saw--the planet's unusual appearance because of its ring system and its somewhat flattened poles. In reporting his observations, Galileo stated that he believed Saturn to be orbited by 2 other planets and that the 3 almost touched.

Further Identification

• With the invention of more sophisticated telescopes in the late 1690s, the scientist Christiaan Huygens was able to identify the rings of Saturn as rings instead of moons or other planets. Huygens also identified Titan, the first of Saturn's moons. Within the next 25 years, 4 other moons and a major gap in Saturn's rings were identified. It was more than 100 years later before 2 more moons would be discovered.