The story behind the names of the planets was written long ago by early stargazers - the first astronomers to focus attention on the sun, the moon, and the visible planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They believed that each of these celestial bodies influenced a particular day of the week. Diverse cultures ascribed the names of their gods to individual planets (with the notable exception of Earth). These Roman names were adapted by early European astronomers and have persisted, long after the ancient geocentric model of our solar system was proven wrong.