History
Mars has been observed by many ancient cultures - we have no idea who was the first to notice it. Those who did noticed a pale pink object that was only visible in the early morning just before dawn. This object moved relative to the stars, got brighter over the next year and rose earlier and earlier. Then it abruptly stopped and reversed direction. At its brightest it was the third brightest object in the night sky (only Venus and the Moon were brighter), had an intense red color and was visible all night long. After moving the “wrong” direction for some 70 days or so, it stopped and reversed direction again. It gradually got dimmer, was only visible in the evening sky and set earlier and earlier. After another year it again was a pale pink object, this time only visible just after sunset. Shortly after that, it could not be seen at all. It remained hidden for about one hundred days when the cycle repeated again. (1)