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In the Orchards of the Gods, He Watch the Canals
Enuma Elish (Sumeria, 2500 SM)
(ref.: Cosmos, p.124)
They have likewise discovered two lesser stars, or satellites, which revolve about Mars;
whereof the innermost is distant from the centre of the primary planet
exactly three of his diameters, and the outermost, five;
The former revolves in the space of ten hours, and the latter in twenty-one and a half;
so that the squares of their periodical times are very near in the same proportion
with the cubes of their distance from the centre of Mars,
which evidently shows them to be governed by the same law of gravitation
that influences the other heavenly bodies.
(ref.: Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift, 1726)
At most, terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars,
perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise.
The War of the Worlds (H. G. Wells, 1897)
(ref.: Cosmos, p.126)
(Catatan: versi radio oleh Orson Welles, 1938 dan versi layar lebar dengan judul sama dengan aktor utama Tom Cruise yang disutradarai oleh Steven Spielberg dan narrator Morgan Freeman, 2005. Ref.: Wikipedia the free encyclopedia)
Sejak keberadaan manusia, mereka sebenarnya telah menyadari keberadaan benda langit yang mirip bintang dengan sifat yang unik, yaitu mengembara di suatu daerah langit tertentu yang populer dengan nama Zodiak. Sang Pengembara di Zodiak inilah yang kemudian dijuluki planet. Jaman dahulu kala telah diketahui secara kasat mata hadirnya 5 planet, yaitu Merkurius, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, dan Saturnus. Sementara kala itu, Bumi belum dianggap sebagai planet. Sang Pengembara ini dalam budaya Nusantara juga dikenal luas seperti julukan di daerah Minangkabau Bintang Bakiba(r), Bintang ba(r)–eda(r), di ranah Sunda Benteung-leumpang, Madura Bintang Ajalan, Bali Pelalintangan, Bugis Dawari atau Sayari, Jawa Lintang Lumaku, Lintang Lumampah.
