Why are so many planets named after Roman gods?

All of the planets in our solar system, and plenty of the moons, are named after gods or other figures from ancient Roman mythology. Have you ever wondered who picked those names? And why is the theme Roman gods, and not famous kings, favorite cartoon characters, or notable cats? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s outta this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and you can nepTUNE in to hear the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.