A planet symbol (or ''planetary symbol'') is a graphical symbol used in
astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
and
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
to represent a
classical planet
In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets or seven luminaries are the seven moving astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The word ''planet'' comes fro ...
(including the Sun and the Moon) or one of the modern planets. The symbols were also used in
alchemy
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
to represent the metals
associated Associated may refer to:
*Associated, former name of Avon, Contra Costa County, California
* Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto, a school in Canada
*Associated Newspapers, former name of DMG Media, a British publishing company
See also
*Associati ...
with the planets, and in calendars for their associated days. The use of these symbols derives from Classical
Greco-Roman astronomy, though their current shapes are a development of the 16th century.
The classical planets, their symbols, days and most commonly associated
planetary metals are:
The
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
(IAU) discourages the use of these symbols in modern journal articles, and their style manual proposes one- and two-letter abbreviations for the names of the planets for cases where planetary symbols might be used, such as in the headings of tables.
The modern planets with their traditional symbols and IAU abbreviations are:
The symbols of Venus and Mars are also used to represent
female
Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...
and
male
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization.
A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...
in biology following a convention introduced by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...
in the 1750s.
History
Classical planets
Antecedents of the planetary symbols are attested in the attributes given to classical deities. The Roman
planisphere
In astronomy, a planisphere () is a star chart analog computing instrument in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date. It is an instrument to assist ...
of Bianchini (2nd century, currently in the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
, inv. Ma 540)
shows the seven planets represented by portraits of the seven corresponding gods, each a bust with a
halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* ''Halo'' (franch ...
and an iconic object or dress, as follows: Mercury has a
caduceus and a winged cap; Venus has a necklace and a shining mirror; Mars has a war-helmet and a spear; Jupiter has a laurel crown and a staff; Saturn has a conical headdress and a scythe; the Sun has rays emanating from his head; and the Moon has a crescent atop her head.
Bianchini planisphere - Luna.png, Luna with a crescent
Bianchini planisphere - Mercury.png, Mercury with a caduceus
Bianchini planisphere - Venus.png, Venus with a shining mirror
Bianchini planisphere - Sol.png, Sol emanating rays
Bianchini planisphere - Mars.png, Mars with a spear
Bianchini planisphere - Jupiter.png, Jupiter with a staff
Bianchini planisphere - Saturn.png, Saturn with a scythe
The written symbols for Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn have been traced to forms found in late Greek papyri.
Early forms are also found in medieval Byzantine codices which preserve horoscopes.
Moon symbol (medieval ms).png, The symbol for the Moon in a medieval Byzantine (11th c.) ms. The appearance in late Classical times was similar.[
Mercury symbol (late classical and medieval mss).png, The symbol for Mercury in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) mss][
Venus symbol (late classical and medieval mss).png, The symbol for Venus in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) mss][
Sun symbol (late classical and medieval mss).png, The disk with a ray as a symbol for the Sun in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) mss][
Mars symbol (late classical and medieval ms).png, The symbol for Mars in late Classical (6th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) mss.][
Jupiter symbol (late classical and medieval mss).png, The symbol for Jupiter in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) mss][
Saturn symbol (late classical and medieval mss).png, The symbol for Saturn in late Classical (4th & 5th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) mss. Cf. kappa-rho, .][
]
A diagram in the astronomical compendium by Johannes Kamateros (12th century) closely resemble the 11th-century forms shown above, with the Sun represented by a circle with a single ray, Jupiter by the letter ''
zeta
Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
'' (the initial of
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
, Jupiter's counterpart in Greek mythology), Mars by a shield crossed by a spear, and the remaining classical planets by symbols resembling the modern ones, though without the cross-marks seen in modern versions of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. These cross-marks first appear in the late 15th or early 16th century. According to Maunder, the addition of crosses appears to be "an attempt to give a savour of Christianity to the symbols of the old pagan gods."
[Maunder (1934)]
The modern forms of the classical planetary symbols are found in a woodcut of the seven planets in a Latin translation of
Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi
Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Latinized as Albumasar (also ''Albusar'', ''Albuxar''; full name ''Abū Maʿshar Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Balkhī'' ;
, AH 171–272), was an early Persian Muslim astrologer, thought to be the greatest ast ...
's ''De Magnis Coniunctionibus'' printed at Venice in 1506, represented as the corresponding gods riding chariots.
[Maunder (1934:239)]
File:Fotothek df tg 0007129 Theosophie ^ Alchemie.jpg, Early modern depiction of the planet symbols in an alchemical context (''Musaeum Hermeticum
''Musaeum Hermeticum'' ("Hermetic library") is a compendium of alchemical texts first published in German, in Frankfurt, 1625 by Lucas Jennis. Additional material was added for the 1678 Latin edition, which in turn was reprinted in 1749.
__NOTO ...
'', 1678)
File:Translation of Albumasar Venice 1515 De Magnis Coniunctionibus.jpg, Page spread (with the signs for Mars and Venus) from a 1515 illustrated edition of Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi
Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Latinized as Albumasar (also ''Albusar'', ''Albuxar''; full name ''Abū Maʿshar Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Balkhī'' ;
, AH 171–272), was an early Persian Muslim astrologer, thought to be the greatest ast ...
's ''De Magnis Coniunctionibus'' (in the by translation by Herman of Carinthia
Herman of Carinthia (1105/1110 – after 1154), also called Hermanus Dalmata or Sclavus Dalmata, Secundus, by his own words born in the "heart of Istria", was a philosopher, astronomer, astrologer, mathematician and translator of Arabic works ...
, c. 1140, ''editio princeps'' by Erhard Ratdolt of Augsburg, 1489).
Abu Ma'shar(Ibn Balkhi)-850AD.png, Depiction of the planets in a 15th-century Arabic manuscript of Abu Ma'shar's "Book of nativities"
File:F4.v. zodiac circle with planets - NLW MS 735C.png, Medieval planisphere
In astronomy, a planisphere () is a star chart analog computing instrument in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date. It is an instrument to assist ...
showing the zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
and the classical planets
In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets or seven luminaries are the seven moving astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The word ''planet'' comes from ...
. The planets are represented by seven faces.
File:Center of shield, Robert Boyle Prize for Analytical Science, Royal Society of Chemistry.jpg, Planetary-metal symbols at the center of the coat of arms of the Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Instit ...
Earth symbol
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
is not one of the classical planets, as "planets" by definition were "wandering stars" as seen from Earth's surface.
Earth's status as planet is a consequence of
heliocentrism in the 16th century.
Nonetheless, there is a pre-heliocentric symbol for the world, now used as a planetary symbol for the Earth. This is a circle crossed by a horizontal and vertical line, representing the world divided by four rivers into the
four quarters of the world (often translated as the four "corners" of the world):
![Earth symbol (fixed width)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Earth_symbol_%28fixed_width%29.svg)
. A variant, now obsolete, had only the horizontal line:
16px, 🜔.
["Solar System", in ''The English Cyclopaedia of Arts and Sciences'', vol. VII-VIII, 1861]
A medieval European symbol for the world – the
globus cruciger,
![Globus cruciger (fixed width)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Globus_cruciger_%28fixed_width%29.svg)
(the globe surmounted by a
Christian cross) – is also used as a planetary symbol; it resembles an inverted symbol for Venus.
The planetary symbols for Earth are encoded in Unicode at and .
Marriage of Cupid and Psyche.jpg, The Olympian gods, atop a
-shaped world
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Arubalaan 42-48.jpg, Stylized Earth symbol
Wappen Oberwallmenach.png, A simple ''globus cruciger''
File:Maschwanden-blazon.svg, Three ''globi crucigeri'' in the coat of arms of Maschwanden
Maschwanden is a village in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Maschwanden is first mentioned in 1189 as ''Maswondon''. The Baron of Eschenbach owned a castle and the village, near the current municipal ...
in Switzerland
Uppsala län vapenflagga.svg, In the flag of Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the c ...
, the globe of the ''globus cruciger'' is stylized as a T-and-O map, 16px
Mosaic in the Tunis Cathedral.jpg, In this ''globus cruciger'', the cross is surmounted on a celestial orb
The celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental entities of the cosmological models developed by Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, and others. In these celestial models, the apparent motions of the fixed stars ...
with stars
Classical planets
Moon
![Moon crescent symbol (fixed width)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Moon_crescent_symbol_%28fixed_width%29.svg)
The
crescent
A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself.
In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...
shape has been used to represent the Moon since earliest times. In classical antiquity, it is worn by lunar deities (
Selene/Luna,
Artemis/Diana,
Men
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chro ...
, etc.) either on the head or behind the shoulders, with its horns pointing upward.
The representation of the moon as a simple crescent with the horns pointing to the side (as a heraldic ''crescent increscent'' or ''crescent decrescent'') is attested from late Classical times.
The same symbol can be used in a different context not for the Moon itself but for a
lunar phase, as part of a sequence of four symbols
for "new moon" (U+1F311 🌑︎), "waxing" (U+263D ☽︎), "full moon" (U+1F315 🌕︎) and "waning" (U+263E ☾︎).
Sala_vapen.svg, The Moon symbol, representing silver mining
Silver mining is the extraction of silver from minerals, starting with mining. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires elaborate technologies. In 2008, ca.25,900 metric tons were consumed ...
, in the municipal coat of arms of Sala in Sweden
Silvberg vapen.svg, The Moon symbol in the municipal coat of arms of Silvbergs ('Silver Mountain') in Sweden
20120801-016 Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Arubalaan 74-80.jpg, Stylized Moon symbol
Mercury
![Mercury symbol (fixed width)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Mercury_symbol_%28fixed_width%29.svg)
The symbol ☿ for
Mercury is a
caduceus (a staff intertwined with two serpents), a symbol associated with
Mercury/Hermes throughout antiquity.
Some time after the 11th century, a cross was added to the bottom of the staff to make it seem more Christian.
Its Unicode
codepoint
In character encoding terminology, a code point, codepoint or code position is a numerical value that maps to a specific character. Code points usually represent a single grapheme—usually a letter, digit, punctuation mark, or whitespace—but ...
is .
Early classical white ground lekythos ARV extra Hermes Psychopompos leading deceased woman to Charon (02).jpg, The god Hermes (Mercury) with his caduceus
DEU Stahlberg COA.svg, Mercury symbol, representing quicksilver mining, in the municipal coat of arms of Stahlberg, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
, Germany.
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Surinamelaan 52-58.jpg, Stylized Mercury symbol
Venus
![Venus symbol (fixed width)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Venus_symbol_%28fixed_width%29.svg)
The Venus symbol, ♀, consists of a circle with a small
cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
below it.
It has been interpreted as a depiction of the hand-mirror of the goddess, which may also explain Venus's association with the
planetary metal copper, as mirrors in antiquity were made of polished copper (alloy),
[ ] though this is not certain.
In the Greek
Oxyrhynchus Papyri
The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are a group of manuscripts discovered during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by papyrologists Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt at an ancient rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus in Egypt (, mo ...
235, the symbols for Venus and Mercury didn't have the cross on the bottom stroke,
and Venus still appears without the cross (⚲) in Johannes Kamateros (12th century).
In
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
and
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, the symbol for Venus is used to
represent the female sex, alongside the symbol for
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
representing the
male
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization.
A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...
sex,
following a convention introduced by
Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
in the 1750s.
Arising from the biological convention, the symbol also came to be used in sociological contexts to represent
women
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
or
femininity
Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered f ...
.
Unicode
Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, wh ...
encodes the symbol as , in the
Miscellaneous Symbols
Miscellaneous Symbols is a Unicode block (U+2600–U+26FF) containing glyphs representing concepts from a variety of categories: astrological, astronomical, chess, dice, musical notation, political symbols, recycling, religious symbols, trigr ...
block.
Bronze mirror MET DP254654.jpg, A bronze mirror, of the type associated with Venus
Falun vapen.svg, The Venus symbol, representing copper mining, in the municipal coat of arms of Falun Municipality
Falun Municipality (''Falu kommun'') is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Falun. Falun is the second biggest city and provincial capital of Dalarna County. Falun was originally famous for its ...
in Sweden (1932).
Woman-power emblem.svg , Raised fist within Venus symbol, used as a symbol of second-wave feminism
Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains.
...
(1960s)
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Arubalaan 58-64.jpg, Stylized Venus symbol
Venus has also been identified as the star in a range of
star and crescent depictilns and symbols.
Sun
![Old symbol for sun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Old_symbol_for_sun.svg)
The modern astronomical symbol for the Sun, the
circumpunct (), was first used in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
. It possibly represents Apollo's golden shield with a
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
; it is unknown if it traces descent from the nearly identical
Egyptian hieroglyph for the Sun.
''Bianchini's
planisphere
In astronomy, a planisphere () is a star chart analog computing instrument in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date. It is an instrument to assist ...
'', produced in the 2nd century, shows a
circlet
A circlet is a piece of headwear that is similar to a diadem or a corolla. The word 'circlet' is also used to refer to the base of a crown or a coronet, with or without a cap. Diadem and circlet are often used interchangeably, and 'open crowns' ...
with rays radiating from it.
[
In late Classical times, the Sun is attested as a circle with a single ray. A diagram in Johannes Kamateros' 12th century ''Compendium of Astrology'' shows the same symbol.] This older symbol is encoded by Unicode
Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, wh ...
as in the Alchemical Symbols
Alchemical symbols, originally devised as part of alchemy, were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Although notation like this was mostly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists, so this pag ...
block. Both symbols have been used alchemically for gold, as have more elaborate symbols showing a disk with multiple rays or even a face.
Outlines from the figures and compositions upon the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan vases of the late Sir William Hamilton; with engraved borders (1804) (14779549222).jpg, A buckler with a sun symbol and dot at center
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Arubalaan 10-16.jpg, Stylized circumpunct symbol for the Sun
Mars
The Mars symbol, ♂, is a depiction of a circle with an arrow emerging from it, pointing at an angle to the upper right in Europe and to the upper left in India. As astrological symbol it represents the planet Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
. It is also the old and obsolete symbol for iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
in alchemy. In zoology and botany, it is used to represent the male sex (alongside the astrological symbol for Venus representing the female sex), following a convention introduced by Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
in the 1750s.
The symbol dates from at latest the 11th century, at which time it was an arrow across or through a circle, thought to represent the shield and spear of the god Mars; in the medieval form, for example in the 12th-century ''Compendium of Astrology'' by Johannes Kamateros, the spear is drawn across the shield.[ The Greek ]Oxyrhynchus Papyri
The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are a group of manuscripts discovered during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by papyrologists Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt at an ancient rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus in Egypt (, mo ...
show a different symbol, perhaps simply a spear.[
ALEXANDER SEVERUS-RIC IV 246-737118 MARS.jpg, 3rd-century coin with Mars on the reverse, with lance and shield. The same symbols were used for Athena (Pallas).
Karlskoga vapen.svg, The Mars symbol, representing ]iron mining
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
, in the municipal coat of arms of Karlskoga
Karlskoga () is a locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality, Sweden. Located within Örebro County, 45 km (28 mi) west of Örebro, and 10 km (6 mi) north of Degerfors. With a 2020 population of 27,386 distributed over 10.55 square miles (2 ...
in Sweden
Loppi vaakuna.svg, The Mars symbol in the municipal coat of arms of Loppi
Loppi (; Swedish also ) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region, located about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) south of the city of Hämeenlinna. Loppi was founded ...
in Finland
Project Viking Logo - Patch Style 1974-L-01916.jpg, Mars symbol in the patch for NASA's ''Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
'' mission
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van De Genestetlaan 20-28.jpg, Stylized Mars symbol. The spear partly crosses the shield.
Its Unicode codepoint
In character encoding terminology, a code point, codepoint or code position is a numerical value that maps to a specific character. Code points usually represent a single grapheme—usually a letter, digit, punctuation mark, or whitespace—but ...
is .
Jupiter
The symbol for Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...
, ♃, is originally a Greek zeta, Ζ, with a stroke indicating that it is an abbreviation (for Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
, the Greek equivalent of Roman Jupiter).
Its Unicode codepoint
In character encoding terminology, a code point, codepoint or code position is a numerical value that maps to a specific character. Code points usually represent a single grapheme—usually a letter, digit, punctuation mark, or whitespace—but ...
is .
Mariner Jupiter-Saturn logo.jpg, Jupiter and Saturn symbols in patch for NASA's Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Surinamelaan 76-82.jpg, Stylized Jupiter symbol
Saturn
Salmasius
Claude Saumaise (15 April 1588 – 3 September 1653), also known by the Latin name Claudius Salmasius, was a French classical scholar.
Life
Salmasius was born at Semur-en-Auxois in Burgundy. His father, a counsellor of the parlement of Dijon, se ...
and earlier attestations show that the symbol for Saturn, ♄, derives from the initial letters ( Kappa, rho
Rho (uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ; el, ρο or el, ρω, label=none) is the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 100. It is derived from Phoenician letter res . Its uppercase form uses the sa ...
) of its ancient Greek name (), with a stroke to indicate an abbreviation. By the time of Kamateros (12th century), the symbol had been reduced to a shape similar to a lower-case letter ''eta
Eta (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἦτα ''ē̂ta'' or ell, ήτα ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative in most dialects, ...
'' η, with the abbreviation stroke surviving (if at all) in the curl on the bottom-right end. The horizontal stroke was added along with the "Christianization" of other symbols in the early 16th century.
Its Unicode codepoint
In character encoding terminology, a code point, codepoint or code position is a numerical value that maps to a specific character. Code points usually represent a single grapheme—usually a letter, digit, punctuation mark, or whitespace—but ...
is .
FraternitasSaturniSiegel.svg, Emblem of the ''Fraternitas Saturni
Fraternitas Saturni (lat.: "Brotherhood of Saturn") is a German magical order, founded in 1926 by Eugen Grosche a.k.a. Gregor A. Gregorius and four others. It is one of the oldest continuously running magical groups in Germany. The lodge is, as ...
'', a German magical order
A magical organization or magical order is an organization created for the practice of ceremonial or other forms of occult magic or to further the knowledge of magic among its members. Magical organizations can include Hermetic orders, Wiccan ...
founded in 1926
Wappen der Ortschaft Bleiwäsche.png, The Saturn symbol representing lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
in the municipal coat of arms of ''Bleiwäsche'', since 1975 part of Bad Wünnenberg
Bad Wünnenberg is a town in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Aabach, approximately 20 km south of Paderborn
Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is ...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
, Germany
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Surinamelaan 60-66.jpg, Stylized Saturn symbol
Modern discoveries
Uranus
The symbols for Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus ( Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars), grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter) and father of ...
were created shortly after its discovery in 1781. One symbol, ⛢, invented by J. G. Köhler and refined by Bode, was intended to represent the newly discovered metal platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
; since platinum, commonly called white gold, was found by chemists mixed with iron, the symbol for platinum combines the alchemical symbols for iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
, ♂, and gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
, ☉.[
][
] Gold and iron are the planetary metals for the Sun and Mars, and so share their symbols. Several orientations were suggested, but an upright arrow is now universal.
Another symbol, ♅, was suggested by Lalande in 1784. In a letter to Herschel, Lalande described it as "" ("a globe surmounted by the first letter of your name"). The platinum symbol tends to be used by astronomers and the monogram by astrologers.
For use in computer systems, the symbols are encoded and .
Planetary symbols (1784).png, The planetary symbols as rendered in 1784, including the newly discovered Uranus (left)[
William Herschel heraldry cropped.jpg, The Uranus platinum symbol on ]William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline ...
's heraldry
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Arubalaan 26-32.jpg, Stylized Uranus monogram
Neptune
Several symbols were proposed for Neptune to accompany the suggested names for the planet. Claiming the right to name his discovery, Urbain Le Verrier
Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier FRS (FOR) H FRSE (; 11 March 1811 – 23 September 1877) was a French astronomer and mathematician who specialized in celestial mechanics and is best known for predicting the existence and position of Neptune usin ...
originally proposed to name the planet for the Roman God
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...
'' Neptune''[
] and the symbol of a trident
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...
, while falsely stating that this had been officially approved by the French Bureau des Longitudes. In October, he sought to name the planet ''Leverrier'', after himself, and he had loyal support in this from the observatory director, François Arago,[
] who in turn proposed a new symbol for the planet, ⯉ (
). However, this suggestion met with resistance outside France, and French almanacs quickly reintroduced the name ''Herschel'' for ''Uranus'', after that planet's discoverer Sir William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline ...
, and ''Leverrier'' for the new planet, though it was used by anglophone institutions.
Professor James Pillans
James Pillans FRSE (1778–1864) was a Scottish classical scholar and educational reformer. He is credited with inventing the blackboard, but more correctly was the inventor of coloured chalk.
Early life
The son of James Pillans, he was b ...
of the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
defended the name '' Janus'' for the new planet, and proposed a key for its symbol. Meanwhile, Struve presented the name ''Neptune'' on December 29, 1846, to the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...
. In August 1847, the Bureau des Longitudes announced its decision to follow prevailing astronomical practice and adopt the choice of ''Neptune'', with Arago refraining from participating in this decision.
The planetary symbol was Neptune's trident, with the handle stylized either as a cross
, following Mercury, Venus and the asteroids, or as an orb
, following the symbols for Uranus and Earth.[ The cross variant is the more common today.
For use in computer systems, the symbols are encoded as and .
Athena Poseidon Cdm Paris DeRidder222.jpg, Athena (Pallas) with her lance and Poseidon (Neptune) with his trident. These weapons became the symbols of the planets Pallas and Neptune, respectively.
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Surinamelaan 68-74.jpg, Stylized Neptune symbol (orb base)
Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Surinamelaan 84-90.jpg, Stylized Neptune symbol (cross base)
]
Pluto
Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...
was almost universally considered a planet from its discovery in 1930 until its re-classification as a dwarf planet
A dwarf planet is a small planetary-mass object that is in direct orbit of the Sun, smaller than any of the eight classical planets but still a world in its own right. The prototypical dwarf planet is Pluto. The interest of dwarf planets to ...
(planetoid) by the IAU in 2006. Planetary geologists and astrologers continue to treat it as a planet. The original planetary symbol for Pluto was a monogram of the letters P and L. Astrologers generally use a bident
A bident is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork. In Greek mythology, the bident is a weapon associated with Hades (Pluto), the ruler of the underworld.
Likewise, the three-pronged trident is the implement of his brother Poseidon ( Ne ...
with an orb. NASA has used the bident symbol since Pluto's reclassification. These symbols are encoded as and .
Plate 7- Pluto in a niche, holding a bident, with Cerberus next to him, from a series of mythological gods and goddesses MET DP830883.jpg, Pluto holding a bident
20120801-017 Amersfoort - Reliëf op de wand van Arubalaan 90-96.jpg, Pluto symbol stylized as an inverted Mercury
Pluto symbol (northern Europe, variant).svg, ⯖, an astrological symbol used for Pluto in Germany and Denmark, representing Pluto's orbit crossing Neptune's
Pluto_symbol_(southern_Europe).svg, ⯔, an astrological symbol used in the Mediterranean and Germany. The globe at bottom may be larger or omitted altogether.
Minor planets
In the 19th century, planetary symbols for the major asteroids were also in use, including 1 Ceres (a reaper's sickle
A sickle, bagging hook, reaping-hook or grasshook is a single-handed agricultural tool designed with variously curved blades and typically used for harvesting, or reaping, grain crops or cutting Succulent plant, succulent forage chiefly for feed ...
, encoded ), 2 Pallas
Pallas ( minor-planet designation: 2 Pallas) is the second asteroid to have been discovered, after Ceres. It is believed to have a mineral composition similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, like Ceres, though significantly less hy ...
(a lance, ) and 3 Juno
)
, mp_category=Main belt ( Juno clump)
, orbit_ref =
, epoch= JD 2457000.5 (9 December 2014)
, semimajor=2.67070 AU
, perihelion=1.98847 AU
, aphelion=3.35293 AU
, eccentricity=0.25545
, period=4.36463 yr
, inclination=12.9817°
, as ...
(a sceptre, encoded ).
Encke (1850) used symbols for 5 Astraea
Astraea () (minor planet designation: 5 Astraea) is an asteroid in the asteroid belt. Its surface is highly reflective and its composition is probably a mixture of nickel–iron with silicate mineral, silicates of magnesium and iron. It is an S- ...
, 6 Hebe
Hebe (minor planet designation: 6 Hebe) is a large main-belt asteroid, containing around 0.5% of the mass of the belt. However, due to its apparently high bulk density (greater than that of the Moon or even Mars), Hebe does not rank among the to ...
, 7 Iris
Iris (minor planet designation: 7 Iris) is a large main-belt asteroid and perhaps remnant planetesimal orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. It is the fourth-brightest object in the asteroid belt. It is classified as an S-type asteroid, mea ...
, 8 Flora
Flora (minor planet designation: 8 Flora) is a large, bright Asteroid belt, main-belt asteroid. It is the innermost ''large'' asteroid: no asteroid closer to the Sun has a diameter above 25 kilometres (20% that of Flora), and not until 20-km 149 ...
and 9 Metis
Metis (minor planet designation: 9 Metis) is one of the larger main-belt asteroids. It is composed of silicates and metallic nickel-iron, and may be the core remnant of a large asteroid that was destroyed by an ancient collision. Metis is esti ...
in the ''Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch''.[
In the late 20th century, astrologers abbreviated the symbol for ]4 Vesta
Vesta ( minor-planet designation: 4 Vesta) is one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, with a mean diameter of . It was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on 29 March 1807 and is named after Vesta, t ...
(the sacred fire of Vesta
The sacred fire of Vesta was a sacred eternal flame in ancient Rome. The Vestal Virgins, originally numbering two, later four, and eventually six, were selected by lot and served for thirty years, tending the holy fire and performing other ritua ...
, encoded ), and introduced new symbols for 5 Astraea
Astraea () (minor planet designation: 5 Astraea) is an asteroid in the asteroid belt. Its surface is highly reflective and its composition is probably a mixture of nickel–iron with silicate mineral, silicates of magnesium and iron. It is an S- ...
(
, a stylised % sign, shift-5 on the keyboard for asteroid 5), 10 Hygiea
Hygiea (minor-planet designation: 10 Hygiea) is a major asteroid and possible dwarf planet located in the main asteroid belt. With a diameter of and a mass estimated to be 3% of the total mass of the belt, it is the fourth-largest asteroid i ...
(a caduceus – a common error in the USA for a staff of Asclepius, itself an error for the snake symbol of Hygiea – encoded )[ and for ]2060 Chiron
2060 Chiron is a small Solar System body in the outer Solar System, orbiting the Sun between Saturn and Uranus. Discovered in 1977 by Charles Kowal, it was the first-identified member of a new class of objects now known as centaurs—bodies o ...
, discovered in 1977 (a key, ).[ Chiron's symbol was adapted as additional centaurs were discovered; symbols for ]5145 Pholus
5145 Pholus is an eccentric centaur in the outer Solar System, approximately in diameter, that crosses the orbit of both Saturn and Neptune. It was discovered on 9 January 1992 by American astronomer David Rabinowitz (uncredited) of UA's Space ...
and 7066 Nessus
7066 Nessus is a very red centaur on an eccentric orbit, located beyond Saturn in the outer Solar System. It was discovered on 26 April 1993, by astronomers of the Spacewatch program at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. The ...
have been encoded in Unicode. The abbreviation of the Vesta symbol is now universal, and the astrological symbol for Pluto has been used astronomically for Pluto as a dwarf planet.[
In the early 21st century, symbols for the ]trans-Neptunian
A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has a semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (au).
Typically, ...
dwarf planets have come into use, particularly Eris (the hand of Eris
Discordianism is a religion, philosophy, or paradigm centered on Eris, a.k.a. Discordia, the Goddess of chaos. Discordianism uses archetypes or ideals associated with her. It was founded after the 1963 publication of its "holy book," the ''Pri ...
, ⯰, but also ⯱), Sedna, Haumea
, discoverer =
, discovered =
, earliest_precovery_date = March 22, 1955
, mpc_name = (136108) Haumea
, pronounced =
, adjectives = Haumean
, note = yes
, alt_names =
, named_after = Haumea
, mp_category =
, orbit_ref =
, epoc ...
, Makemake
Makemake (minor-planet designation 136472 Makemake) is a dwarf planet and – depending on how they are defined – the second-largest Kuiper belt object in the classical population, with a diameter approximately 60% that of Pluto. It h ...
, , and which are in Unicode. All (except Eris, for which the hand of Eris is a traditional Discordian symbol) were devised by Denis Moskowitz, a software engineer in Massachusetts.
Ceres, Bacchus and Amor Dutch School Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed B618.jpg, Ceres with her sickle
Athena Poseidon Cdm Paris DeRidder222.jpg, Athena (Pallas) with her lance (left)
Abraham Bloemaert, Juno, c.1610, NGA 152769.jpg, Juno with her scepter
D'Antoine - Consécration d'une jeune vestale en présence des déesses Minerve et Vesta.jpg, Vesta's sacred fire
Hygeia-Hermitage.jpg, Hygiea with her snake (old astr. symbol )
Makemake.jpg, Petroglyph of Makemake
Bomarzo parco mostri orco.jpg, Orcus's gape
File:Shan hai jing Zhuyin.jpg, A human-headed serpent similar to depictions of Gonggong
Hand of Eris.svg, The Hand of Eris from the ''Principia Discordia
The ''Principia Discordia'' is the first published Discordian religious text. It was written by Greg Hill ( Malaclypse the Younger) with Kerry Wendell Thornley (Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst) and others. The first edition was printed allegedly usi ...
''
Additional symbols
From 1845 to 1855, many symbols were created for newly discovered asteroids. But by 1851, the spate of discoveries had led to a general abandonment of these symbols in favour of numbering all asteroids instead.
AstraeaVSH.JPG, Astraea with her scales (astronomical symbol
Canova-Hebe 30 degree view.jpg, Hebe bearing a cup (astr. symbol )
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien 2016 Kunstkammer Gaetano Matteo Monti Iris als Regenbogengöttin KK 5503 b.jpg, Iris as the rainbow (astr. symbol )
Flora dispensing Her Favours on the Earth.jpg, Flora dispensing flowers (astr. symbol )
NAMA Sirène.jpg, Parthenope with her lyre (astr. symbol )
Victory Column or Siegessäule in Berlin Tiergarten 0962.jpg, Victory with a laurel wreath (astr. symbol or )
Alegorie míru, náměstí Míru, Vinohrady, Praha.jpg, Peace (Irene) as a freed dove (astr. symbol )
Germania frieden.jpg, Peace with wings and an olive branch
Psyche on a camel.jpg, Psyche with butterfly wings (astr. symbol )
Hermes-Psyche-Palais-Garnier (cropped).jpg, Psyche accompanied by a butterfly, and Hermes with a multiply twisted caduceus
Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern (1902) (14759296956).jpg, Psyche with butterfly wings, and Charon standing in his lunate boat
Museo Arqueológico Nacional - 2001-89-2 - Dinos de Tetis y Peleo 03.jpg, Thetis with a dolphin (astro. symbol file:Thetis symbol (fixed width).svg)
Melpomene Pio-Clementino Inv299.jpg, Melpomene with a dagger (astr. symbol file:Melpomene symbol (fixed width).svg)
Fortune et sa roue détail.png, Fortuna with her wheel (astro. symbol file:Fortuna symbol (fixed width).svg)
Hymen is kneeling before Fortune, who is balancing blindfold Wellcome V0047969.jpg, blindfolded Fortuna balanced on a wheel
Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Proserpine - Google Art Project.jpg, Proserpina with a pomegranate (astr. symbol file:Proserpina symbol (fixed width).svg)
Jan Muller after Bartholomaeus Spranger, Bellona Leading the Imperial Armies Against the Turks, 1600, NGA 153994.jpg, Bellona with a lance and flail (astro. symbol file:Bellona symbol (fixed width).svg)
Amphitrite LACMA M.88.91.381b.jpg, Amphitrite on a shell (astr. symbol file:Amphitrite symbol (fixed width).svg)
Moskowitz, who designed symbols for the trans-Neptunian dwarf planets, also designed symbols for the smaller trans-Neptunian objects Varuna
Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...
, Ixion
In Greek mythology, Ixion ( ; el, Ἰξίων, ''gen''.: Ἰξίονος means 'strong native') was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly.
Family
Ixion was the son of Ares, or Leonteus, or Antion and Perimele, or the not ...
, and Salacia. Others have proposed symbols for even more trans-Neptunian objects, e.g. Zane Stein for Varda. Although mentioned in the Unicode
Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, wh ...
proposal for the other dwarf planets, they lack broader adoption.[
File:Amphitrite Terme di Nettuno Ostia Antica 2006-09-08.jpg, Salacia riding her ]hippocamp
The hippocampus or hippocamp, also ''hippokampos'' (plural: hippocampi or hippocamps; grc, ἱππόκαμπος, from , "horse" and , "sea monster" (symbol )
File:Ixion in sky campanian amphora.jpg, Ixion bound to his wheel (symbol or )
File:Varuna makara.jpg, Varuna with his snake-lasso (symbol )
File:Varda Elentári.jpg, Varda kindling the stars (symbol )
File:Star of Chaos Warhammer.svg, The Symbol of Chaos () in ''Warhammer 40,000
''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...
''
See also
*Astrological symbol
Historically, astrological and astronomical symbols overlapped. Frequently used symbols include signs of the zodiac and classical planets. These originate from medieval Byzantine codices. Their current form is a product of the European Renaissan ...
*Astronomical symbol
Astronomical symbols are abstract pictorial symbols used to represent astronomical objects, theoretical constructs and observational events in European astronomy. The earliest forms of these symbols appear in Greek papyrus texts of late antiq ...
*Gender symbol
A gender symbol is a pictogram or glyph used to represent sex and gender, for example in biology and medicine, in genealogy, or in the sociological fields of gender politics, LGBT subculture and identity politics.
In his books (1767) and (1771 ...
*Classical planets in Western alchemy
In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets or seven luminaries are the seven moving astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The word ''planet'' comes from ...
References
Sources
*
{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System
Alchemical symbols
Astronomical symbols
History of astrology