Ancient Greek astronomers likely observed Uranus as a star, but limited tools and geocentric views kept them from recognizing it as a planet. Credit: NASA/JPL / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain.

In Greek myth, Uranus, born from primeval chaos, is the god of the sky. One half of the first couple, Uranus, was the mate of Gaia, aka Mother Earth.

Herschel discovered Uranus while surveying stars in the night sky using a telescope that he had built himself. While observing one of these ‘stars’ he noticed it was orbiting the Sun and was indeed a ...

Foremost among the Greek gods and goddesses of ancient mythology were the 12 Olympians of the pantheon, including ... Together, Uranus and Gaia gave birth to six male Titans — Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, ...

Uranus wasn't ready for its closeup 38 years ago. I speak of the 7th planet from the Sun, and third largest in our solar system, which received a flyby — 50,000 miles above the planet — from ...

A year after Hershel's discovery, writes Popular Science, German astronomer Johann Bode suggested the winning name: Uranus, the Latin word for the Greek god of the sky: Ouranos (Ew-rah-nose).

A year after Hershel's discovery, writes Popular Science, German astronomer Johann Bode suggested the winning name: Uranus, the Latin word for the Greek god of the sky: Ouranos (Ew-rah-nose).

In Greek mythology, Uranus was the first sky god, says Ash, who locked his children in the Underworld, who were then challenged to avenge their demise by Gaea, aka the personification of the earth.

“Instead, the planet was named for Uranus, the Greek god of the sky.” Even with a powerful telescope, you’ll be unlikely to see Uranus Wednesday, as the night sky will be curtained by clouds.