* When I was young I always thought there were only 5 planets known to the ancients: Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. I was wrong! Mercury was known to them too. Uranus was discovered in 1781, Neptune in 1846, and Pluto only in 1930. In Goodman’s lifetime, in mine, and indeed much more recently, our understanding of the Solar System has changed radically. In 1978, Charon was discovered, the moon of Pluto. At the time of writing – August 2023 – Pluto has five known moons, and there is some argument as to whether or not it is a proper planet. As opposed to an improper one? Many other objects have been discovered in the Solar System since, although not Vulcan, the still hypothetical planet between the Sun and Mercury.
The first list below was handed to me with no explanation. In modern English, the Moon is not a planet, and the Sun certainly is not, but this is how the Babylonians classified them. The list gives the name of the celestial object (from the Sun outward and excluding Earth) followed by the English spelling of the Babylonian name.
1. Sun Shamash
2. Mercury Nebo
3. Venus Ishtar
4. Moon Sin
5. Mars Nergal
6. Jupiter Merodach
7. Saturn Ninip
Alternatively
1. Sun Gold Infancy
2. Moon Silver Childhood
3. Mars Iron Adolescence
4. Mercury Mercy Young Adulthood
5. Jupiter Tin Adulthood
6. Venus Copper Old Age
7. Saturn Lead Decrepitude
To The 7 Astrological Planets (And Their Colours)
To The 12 Planets Of The Solar System
Back To Number 7 Index