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How were planets first discovered?

Updated: 8/10/2023
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14y ago

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Only two of the planets (if we exclude Pluto) have official discoverers because the others have always been visible to the unaided eye. The two that were discovered are Uranus (in 1781) and Neptune (in 1846). Former planet Pluto was discovered in 1930.

As a preliminary, there are only 8. Pluto is technically no longer a planet.
It's not known when Mercury, Venus, mars Jupiter and Saturn where discovered, as they where know about throughout all written history in lots of cultures. So it's not recorded. Uranus 1781, Neptune 1846 Pluto, not considered a plant anymore 1930
The five (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) visible planets have been known since humans first looked up into the night sky. The Earth was also known.

  • Uranus was discovered on March 13, 1781 - although Uranus is actually visible to the naked eye, it would have been impossible to know it was a planet.
  • Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846
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6y ago
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14y ago

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have been known, or at least seen since man first looked up into the sky. Uranus was also visible with the naked eye, but was probably not recognised as a planet by our early observers.

With the invention of telescopes, other planets were later discovered.

Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846, but was mathematically predicted much earlier.

Pluto, although now a dwarf planet was discovered in 1930.

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11y ago
  • Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have been known since at least 2000BC.
  • Uranus was discovered by William Herschel on April 26, 1781.
  • Neptune was discovered by Johann Gottfried Galle and Urbain Le Verrier on September 23, 1846.
  • Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh on February 18, 1930
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12y ago

the following planets were known since ancient times and we cannot estimate the year

  • Mercury
  • Venus
  • Mars
  • Mars
  • Jupiter
  • Saturn

Uranus-Uranus had been observed on many times before its discovery as a planet, but it was generally mistaken for a star. The earliest recorded sighting as a planet was in 1690 when John Flamsteed observed it

Neptune- Neptune was first observed on December 28, 1612, and again on January 27, 1613 by Galileo

PlutoPluto was Discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh in February 18, 1930

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6y ago

Here is a list of all planets including dwarf planets with their years of discovery:

  1. Mercury (unknown, but first mentioned in about 265 BCE, and first observed by telescope in 1639)
  2. Venus (unknown, but first observed through a telescope in 1610)
  3. Earth
  4. Mars (unknown, but first recorded in 1534 BCE in Egypt, first observed by telescope in 1659)
  5. Ceres (January 1, 1801)
  6. Jupiter (about the 8th Century BCE or older, but first observed through a telescope in1610)
  7. Saturn (unknown, but first observed through a telescope in 1610)
  8. Uranus (known in ancient times as a star, first observed as a planet on March 13, 1781)
  9. Neptune (September 23, 1846...however Galileo may have observed it in 1613)
  10. Pluto (February 18, 1930)
  11. Haumea (December 28, 2004)
  12. Makemake (March 31, 2005)
  13. Eris (January 5, 2005)
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15y ago

Neptune was discovered in 1864 Uranus was discovered in 1781 sorry that is all i know :>

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14y ago

If your talking about earth, it was never discovered.

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14y ago

Mercury, Venus Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have all been known of since ancient times. Uranus was discovered in 1781 and Neptune was discovered in 1846.

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14y ago

the first planet to be discovered was earth.

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Q: How were planets first discovered?
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What are two first two planets?

The first two planets discovered were Earth and Mars.Another Answer:The first two planets, with respect to the Sun, are Mercury and Venus.


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Earth, then Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars.


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No. He discovered great moons, which, had they not been orbiting planets might have been considered planets themselves, but the first new planet since antiquity was Uranus, discovered by Sir William Herschel.


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No planets have been discovered using a microscope.


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Ceres and Eris are not planets; they are classified as dwarf planets. Eris was discovered in our solar system recently and not by the Kepler mission. Ceres is not "new" either; it was discovered the first day of the 19th. Century. I didn't check the specific "Kepler-" codes, but that looks like planets discovered by the Kepler mission to be orbiting around other stars.


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What 5 planets did the early Greek people discover?

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