Mars was not "discovered" in the conventional sense because it is visible to the naked eye and has been known since ancient times. Its presence was recorded by ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, and Greek astronomers thousands of years ago. The first person to observe Mars through a telescope was the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610, marking the beginning of telescopic study of the planet. However, he did not discover Mars itself, only started detailed observations with new technology
. In summary:
- Mars has been known since antiquity, visible without optical aids.
- Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Mars telescopically in 1610
Thus, Mars was never "discovered" by a single individual but has been observed by humanity since ancient times, with Galileo being the first to study it through a telescope.
