Nancy asks…
How did the ancients know that Jupiter, and not Saturn or Venus, was the largest planet in the solar system?
Jupiter is the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. How did the ancients know that Jupiter was the largest planet? Jupiter is the king of the Gods according to mythology. Saturn has a larger orbit. Why didn’t they make Saturn the king of the Gods? Why is the planet Jupiter considered the king of the Gods. Why did they give that planet the name Jupiter, which means king of the Gods? Did the ancients discover that Jupiter was the largest planet? How did they discover that Jupiter was the largest planet?
Joy answers:
They didn’t. I suspect Jupiter got to be the boss and not Venus because Jupiter moves all across the sky, while Venus is tied to the Sun. And Jupiter trumps Saturn because it’s brighter. In mythology, Saturn (Cronos) once ruled the universe but was deposed by his son Jupiter (Zeus).
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