Gregory Phillips, age 10, of Somerset, New Jersey, for his question:

How was the planet Saturn named?

The five visible planets and the outstanding stars were named before the dawn of history. After all, mankind is a natural star gazer     and the earliest scientists were astronomers. This was when people worshipped gods and goddesses and respected weird totems, or sacred animals. Long ages before the telescope was invented, the brightest planet was named for the goddess Venus. The names of four ancient gods were awarded to the other visible planets.

Early farmers appealed to the god Saturn to bless the seeds for their crops. In those remote times, he was rated as the king of the gods. But even mythical kings can be deposed. Later legends say that Saturn was ousted by his son, Jupiter. The planet Saturn may have been named for the ancient god of agriculture, way back in the dim past. Or perhaps this happened around 497 B.C., when the temple of Saturn was built in Rome. In any case, the planet was named to honor an ancient god, long ages before anybody knew it wore a halo of golden rings.