Why are there 7 days in a week? Thank the Babylonians

The Babylonians adopted a seven-day week due to the the seven celestial bodies they observed in the sky: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. This image of a lunar eclipse over the Swiss Alps highlights four of the seven objects. The Moon is the brightest object to the left. Mars is located directly below the Moon. Saturn is near the middle. And Jupiter hovers to the right. Kaustav Ghose/Flickr

Waiting for the weekend can often seem unbearable, a whole seven days between Saturdays. Having seven days in a week has been the case for a very long time, and so people don’t often stop to ask why. Most of our time reckoning is due to the movements of the planets, Moon and stars. Our … Continue reading Why are there 7 days in a week? Thank the Babylonians

Astronomy Magazine