The Cosmic Name-Sharing Dilemma

The ultimate cosmic coincidence! On the left, we've got mercury the element (Hg, atomic number 80) - the only metal that's liquid at room temperature and looks like a puddle plotting world domination. On the right, Mercury the planet - the speedy little hot mess closest to the sun that probably wishes it could flow away from all that heat. Both named after the Roman messenger god who was apparently really into identity confusion. Scientists in the ancient world must have been like "this shiny stuff moves fast, that planet moves fast... eh, same thing!" Classic scientific naming convention: when in doubt, just reuse labels and confuse future generations!