⏰ when
When was Mercury’s existence as a planet recognized in ancient astronomy?
Quick Answer
Mercury was known in antiquity, with records dating back at least to the third millennium BCE.
The Full Story
Mercury was already recognized by ancient civilizations thousands of years ago, long before telescopes. Babylonian astronomical records from around the third millennium BCE mention the planet, and it was also known to the Greeks and Romans. Because it stays close to the Sun, Mercury is difficult to observe and appears only briefly in the sky. It became one of the classical planets visible to the naked eye.
Key Facts
1.Known by the third millennium BCE
2.Recorded in Babylonian astronomy
3.Visible only near sunrise or sunset
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"The planet humans knew before telescopes!"
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