Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, was only discovered in March 1781. It was found by accident when a British astronomer named William Herschel was surveyingdim stars in the night sky. After observing that the object was passing in front of distant stars, he realized that it must be relatively close and could not be a star itself. At the time, no other planets had been discovered in our solar system for over 1,000 years, so the discovery was very exciting for astronomers.
These days, everyone knows that the planets are named after figures from Greek and Roman mythology. So, it may not be surprising that Uranus was named after one as well. But when Herschel made the discovery, he was hoping to break with the tradition. Instead of naming it after a mythicalfigure, he wanted to name it Georgium Sidus, or the Star of George, after the King of England. Unsurprisingly, this name was not very popular outside Britain.
Many scientists proposed names for the newest planet, with some suggesting it should be named Herschel, after the man who discovered it. Others suggested calling it Neptune, which would become the name of the next planet to be discovered after it was found in 1846.
In 1782, the Prussianastronomer Johann Elert Bode persuaded astronomers in Europe to begin calling it Uranus. The name refers to an ancient sky god of Greek mythology, who is said to be the father of Saturn, and the grandfather of Jupiter. The name eventuallystuck and became convention by the mid-1800s.
