What is the origin of Neptunes name?

Answer 1

When Neptune was discovered in 1846 it was called "the planet exterior to Uranus". Johann Gottfried Galle who found it from the Observatory of Berlin proposed 'Janus'. The Frenchman Urbain Le Verrier did the calculations for Galle and France proposed 'Leverrier'. The Englishman John Couch Adams did similar calculations but his observer was too slow. Never the less, England proposed 'Oceanus'. Le Verrier himself proposed 'Neptune' and after the neutral Russian Academy of Sciences adopted it, the compromise was accepted world-wide. The planet names are from the Roman king of gods, Jupiter and his relatives. The Romans copied the ancient Greeks' mythology and Jupiter's Greek equivalent was the Greek king of gods, Zeus. Planet/Roman god - Greek god - relation to Zeus * Mercury - Hermes - Son (w. Maia) * Venus - Aphrodite - Daughter-in-law or daughter (w. Dione) * Earth - Gaia - Grandmother and Great-grandmother * Mars - Ares - Son (w. Hera) * Jupiter - Zeus - Himself * Saturn - Cronus - Father * Uranus - Ouranos - Grandfather (maternal and paternal) * Neptune - Poseidon - Big brother Dwarf planet/Asteroid/Roman god(ess) - Greek god(ess) - relation to Zeus * 1 Ceres - Demeter - Big sister * 2 Pallas - Athena - Daughter (w. Metis) * 3 Juno - Hera - Big sister & wife * 4 Vesta - Hestia - Big sister * Pluto - Hades - Big brother Galilean moons - Zeus' lovers * Io - a priestess * Europa - Phoenician princess * Ganymedes - Trojan prince * Callisto - nymph of Artemis Neptune was named after the roman god of the sea because of it's blue colour

Answer 2

Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea in Roman mythology (Neptūnus in Latin).

Answer 3

Neptune was discovered by Johann Galle on September 23, 1846. Its name comes from the Roman god of the sea, Neptune.

Answer 4

Well Neptune's name originally came from the roman water god, Poseidon.