Someone once asked Anaxagoras what was the object of being born, to which he replied, "The investigation of the sun, moon and heaven." He studied mathematics and astronomy in Athens. There, he developed a friendship with a very influential Greek leader, Pericles, which would benefit him greatly later in life.

Shortly after the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.), Anaxagoras was accused of impiety for holding that the sun was a red-hot stone, not a god as many believed. Moreover he claimed that the moon didn't shine by its own light, but reflected the sun's light. (This theory was the prelude to his discovery of the eclipse.) He was imprisoned and sentenced to death. His execution would have taken place but his friend Pericles, intervened, using his authority to save Anaxagoras' life.

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