The planet Venus is named for the Roman goddess of what?

The planet Venus is named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The name comes from Venus, a major Roman deity whose associations also included desire, fertility, prosperity, and victory.

Roman writers and artists connected Venus with the Greek goddess Aphrodite, adapting many of Aphrodite’s myths and symbols into Roman culture. In Roman tradition, Venus was also regarded as the mother of Aeneas, the legendary Trojan ancestor of the Roman people. Julius Caesar claimed descent from her through the Julian family.

The planet’s brilliant appearance helped make the name fitting: Venus is the brightest planet seen from Earth and can appear as the “morning star” or “evening star.” It is not a star, however; its brightness comes mainly from sunlight reflected by its highly reflective cloud layers. The planet’s name is therefore mythological, while its visible brilliance is astronomical.