When you look up at the moon at night it is very bright and luminescent. It is easy to come to the conclusion that this light comes from the moon. But, in fact, it does not. The ancient Greeks were able to distinguish this. They discovered that rather than giving off its own light, the moon reflects the light of the Sun. They were also able to predict lunar eclipses and the cycles of the moon almost precisely.

Did you know that the MOON played a big role in the battle of Marathon? This historic battle took place in September of 490 B.C. when the Athenians fought to keep the invading Persian armies out of Greece during the Persian wars. The story, as told by the first historian Herodotus, says that the Spartans refused to help the Athenians because their religious laws forbade them to engage in battle until the full moon passed. Can you imagine how upset the Athenians must have been when they found this out? Their army was tiny when compared to the Persians and they really needed the help of the Spartans! The date of that particular full moon was September 9th, 490 B.C. and that was six whole days away! The Athenians just couldn't wait around for the Spartans this long. Intent to keep their country "Persian-free", the Athenians went into battle alone. The Spartans eventually came to their aid, but by that time the battle was over and the Athenians had come out victorious... no thanks to the Spartans, or the full moon!

Ironically, during a battle of the Peloponnesian Wars, the cycles of the moon that had once played in the favor of the Athenians now played a part in their loss. In this war the Athenians were fighting the Syracusan army, aided by the Spartans, and the Athenians were sure to lose. When they had lost the land battle and needed to escape through the safety of the harbor they still controlled, an eclipse of the moon occurred on their very night they had planned to sneak away. They had been counting on the bright light produced by a full moon to show their way home, but instead a shadow of the Earth was cast upon the moon causing it to give off a dull red and orange glow. It is a very beautiful and spectacular site, but to the Athenians it was disastrous. Now they had to wait until the next full moon to make their escape. Unfortunately, their intentions were found out and their escape route blocked. As a result, they were gruesomely defeated.