The Ancients believed that the planets above were heavenly bodies, which moved in their respective circular orbits. They were also able to distinguish the planets from the many stars. Firstly, the planets were always moving, whereas stars remained in fixed positions. Secondly, the planets held a constant shining glow as a result of reflecting the Sun's light. Stars on the other hand, twinkled with light when they were viewed.

Ancient Astrologers considered the planets visible from Earth as the 'Classical Planets'. These included Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter and Saturn were considered as huge gas giants. The 'Modern Planets' were discovered later; Uranus in the 18th century, Neptune in the 19th, and far away Pluto in the 20th century. Uranus and Neptune were considered as ice giants. Even though Uranus is just visible by the naked eye, it appears no ancient civilization was able to discover it.

The Planets in our Solar System are majestic and mysterious. They have influenced mankind from ancient times. Without their presence, our world would be a very different place to say the least. We are only now really coming to terms with what they are all about, and the influences they exude to our Earth, and to our existence! This extraordinary Solar System we live in just seems to be full of unique and universal surprises. One can only wonder what more is in store for us as we continue to explore space!

The origins of the word 'Planet' first originated from an ancient Greek element representing 'gently wandering or roaming'. The Latin term used instead of the Greek version meant 'wandering stars'. The reason these names were given was due to the fact that the visible planets consistently changed their positions. These versions were later revised into our more common day language, which is now universally known as 'planet(s)'.