Mercury was not "discovered" in the modern sense because it has been known since ancient times. It is one of the five planets visible to the naked eye, and humans have observed it for thousands of years. The earliest records of Mercury come from the Sumerians around 3000 BC. Ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians also had knowledge of mercury, with the element mercury itself being found in Egyptian tombs dating from about 1500 BC. The recognition of Mercury as a planet, rather than just a moving star, was made by the ancient Greeks by about 350 BC. The planet has been observed and named by many cultures throughout history. The first recorded observation of a transit of Mercury across the Sun, a significant astronomical event, was predicted by Johannes Kepler and observed on November 7, 1631, with the aid of a telescope. The telescope itself was invented in the early 17th century, which allowed astronomers to study Mercury more precisely. So to summarize:
- Mercury has been known since ancient times, with records from 3000 BC.
- Ancient Greeks identified it as a planet by about 350 BC.
- The first telescopic observation of its transit across the Sun was in 1631.
The element mercury (liquid metal) has also been known since ancient times, found in Egyptian tombs around 1500 BC.
