Roman Gods in the Solar System Quiz

Answer: God of Love

In mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus - Goddess of Beauty - and identified with the Greek god Eros, from whom the word "erotic" is derived. Cupid is often depicted in art as a child carrying a bow and arrows that can create an intense feeling of love in its target. As such his roles in myths is typically to cause a main character to fall in love or be fallen in love with.

In the Solar System, Cupid is a moon of Uranus, an ice giant that can just about be visible to the naked eye. William Herschel first observed the planet in 1781. Its 28 moons are largely named after Shakespearean characters, some of whom are mythological - Cupid appears in "Timon of Athens".

Answer: God of the Sea

In mythology, Neptune is closely linked to the Greek god Poseidon. When the Roman Republic conquered Greece, it took many of the myths of Poseidon and tied them to their existing god Neptune. Poseidon is a powerful Olympic god associated with the sea, tridents and storms. Freshwater is a particularly important area of Neptune's domain as the summer festival Neptunalia was associated with water conservation and extraction during heat and drought.

In the Solar System, Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun with a trident as its astronomical symbol. It is a large planet made up of liquid and gas. It was discovered in 1846 and its moons are named after water deities.

Answer: Goddess of Agriculture

In mythology, Ceres held related roles in agriculture, fertility and motherhood. She was credited with spelt wheat, a symbol of sophisticated plant and animal agriculture. The Romans sacrificed wheat and pregnant sows to her before sowing grains. Ceres also held key roles in legal and funeral ceremonies. Her closest Greek equivalent is Demeter.

In the Solar System, Ceres is a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is extremely hard to observe from Earth, but its existence was predicted by astronomers' orbit calculations before its discovery in 1801. The NASA probe Dawn found in 2015 that ice and water-based minerals make up its surface.

Answer: God of Agriculture

In mythology, Saturn was primarily the God of Agriculture and depicted with a sickle or scythe. He was the father of many other Gods, like the Greek Titan Cronus, who fathered Olympians. The festival Saturnalia took place in December, around the turn of the new year, in accordance with Saturn's role as God of Time, and originated traditions later tied to Christmas.

In the Solar System, Saturn is the second-largest planet after Jupiter, with over 100 moons plus a large amount of ice, rock and dust that makes up its rings. This is the largest number of moons for a planet, including Titan, the second-largest moon in the Solar System after Jupiter's Ganymede. Like the definition of "planet", the definition of "moon" is somewhat arbitrary, with an unclear bound on the minimum size. The word "moonlet" is used to describe objects too small to be moons, of which Saturn has many.

Answer: King of the Gods

In mythology, Jupiter is King of the Gods and also controls the sky and thunder, in parallel to the Greek Zeus. He established many of Rome's traditions, such as sacrifices, with the (supposed) king who succeeded Romulus: Numa Pompilius. A large number of festivals were dedicated to Jupiter, including those with wine as a key part. Some took place on the Ides of the months - the middle day, where the full moon was seen to be part of Jupiter's "heavenly light".

In the Solar System, Jupiter is more than twice as large as all other planets put together and it was the first planet to coalesce. It is almost entirely made up of hydrogen and helium, the first two elements to form with the lowest atomic numbers. Its moon Ganymede is larger than Mercury and is one of four moons discovered by Galileo and named for figures in Greek mythology.

Answer: Goddess of the Hearth

In mythology, Vesta was Goddess of the Hearth, with other roles around the household and family. Her temple had a hearth that was protected round the clock (or round the sundial) by Vestal Virgins, who agreed before puberty to be chaste for 30 years.

In the Solar System, if the dwarf plant Ceres is discounted then Vesta (formally 4 Vesta) is the largest known asteroid. It makes up a tenth of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter by mass. It is sometimes visible to the naked eye. It was discovered in 1807.

Answer: Messenger of the Gods

In mythology, Mercury is the Roman equivalent of Hermes. As well as being messenger to the Gods, his domain included communication, travel and trade. He was one of the most popular Roman Empire gods in Britain. Wednesday is named after Mercury in some languages, like the French "Mercredi". Mercury's symbol is the caduceus, a staff intertwined with two serpents, sometimes confused with the one-serpent symbol of medicine.

In the Solar System, Mercury is the closest planet from the Sun, with an 88-day orbit, and the smallest. Due to its closeness, its temperature can vary massively between sunlit regions and darkness, from -270 degrees Fahrenheit to 790 degrees Fahrenheit. The planet has little tilt and is very slow to rotate on its axis, with the poles permanently outside of the sunlight. The Romans knew of the planet and chose its name because of its speed of movement across the Earth's sky.

Answer: God of the Underworld

In mythology, Orcus was both the god of the underworld and the name of the underworld. The Greeks identified the underworld first with Hades and later with Pluto. In Ancient Rome, Orcus came to take on the roles of both Pluto and the earlier Roman god Dis Pater. Orcus was associated with punishment, torture and the negative aspects of the underworld. Orcus remained the subject of worship and mythology in rural areas long after the Roman Empire fell, surviving in some adapted form into the Middle Ages. The goblin-like orcs invented by J.R.R. Tolkein are thought to be named after Orcus.

In the Solar System, 90482 Orcus is a dwarf planet beyond Neptune, in the Kuiper belt. It was officially discovered in 2004, although images in which it is visible date back at least to 1951. Its name is meant to lead to comparisons to Pluto: both have one moon (Orcus's is called Vanth) and have a similar orbit period and location.

Answer: Founded Rome (with his brother)

In mythology, Romulus founded Rome after killing his twin brother Remus. The pair were raised by a wolf mother when a king ordered their deaths. Their mother Rhea Silvia was a Vestal Virgin raped by Mars. The founding of Rome, as a kingdom, is dated to 753 BC according to the myth.

In the Solar System, Romulus and Remus are moons of the asteroid 87 Sylvia, discovered in the early 2000s. At that point Sylvia was the only asteroid known to have multiple moons. Their similar orbits and estimated sizes and masses make the naming after twins apt, but they were chosen due to Sylvia's connection to their mother's name. Their distance from the Sun is similar to Jupiter.

Answer: God of War

In mythology, Mars is the god of war. In the early days of Rome he also had agricultural roles. The month March was named after him and contained several festivals associated with him, as the military campaign and farming season began in March and ended in October. In comparison to his Roman equivalent Ares, and despite some of his actions, Mars was seen as a force for peace rather than destruction. He appeared on some of the earliest discovered coins.

In the Solar System, Mars is one of the brightest objects in the Earth's sky and a distinctive orange color due to iron dust. It has been known for as long as humans have been observing the sky and played key roles in the earliest known civilizations, the discovery of the Earth's sphere-like shape and the history of the telescope. When compared to Earth, Mars has a similar length of the day (rotation around its axis), a year around twice as long and a diameter around half as large. Venus is closer to the Earth than Mars. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos.