Anaxagoras born circa 500-480BC was one of the earliest of the classical Greek philosophers.
He was the first to put forward a coherent cosmology and explanation for the nature of the Sun, proposing that it was a red-hot rock greater in size than that of Greece and the Peloponnese
He reasoned that stars were of the same nature as the Sun, but that they were so far away we do not feel their heat, and he correctly identified that the Moon shines only by reflecting Sunlight. He is also credited with the first correct explanation of how eclipses occur. Renowned for several erudite quotations, perhaps his most famous is:
“Everything has a natural explanation. The Moon is not a god but a great rock and the Sun a hot rock”
But being smart isn’t always a good thing; charged with and put on trial for impiety (lack of appropriate respect of the sacred), Anaxagoras was banished from Athens. Exiled to the city of Lampsacus (near to the current day Lapseki), he died there around 428BC
Not so ‘lucky', several years later his contemporary, Socrates, was also charged with impiety but by then Athenian authorities had clearly had enough of ‘experts’ and he was executed in 399BC.
Anaxagoras has an asteroid named in honour; 4180 Anaxagoras is a Main Belt asteroid discovered in 1960. The unfortunate Socrates has no asteroid named after him, reinforcing the saying: 'life just isn't fair', which has clearly been around for thousands of years!
An excellent review of Anaxagoras’s life and philosophy can be found at this link
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Anaxagore et les pierres brûlantes
Anaxagore est né environ 500-480 av JC et il était un des premiers philosophes de la Grèce classique.
Il était le premier à proposer une explication de la nature du Soleil. Il croyait que le Soleil était une pierre brûlante plus grande que la Grèce et le Péloponnèse, il croyait aussi que la Lune et tous les astres étaient des pierres incandescantes mais que la chaleur des astres n'étaient pas sensibles à cause de leur grande distance de la Terre.
Anaxagore a reconnu que la Lune brille en réflétant la lumière du Soleil, et il a decouvert comment les éclipes se produisent.
'Tout a une explication naturelle: la Lune n'est pas un dieu mais un grande pierre et le Soleil est une pierre brûlante.'
Malheureusement Anaxagore a été jugé pour impiété. Ses adversaires lui reprochaient sa théorie cosmique car à l'époque on voyait des dieux dans les astres. Anaxagore est banni d'Athenes et s'exile à Lampasaque où il meurt.
Il y a un asteroïde nommé d'après Anaxagore: (4180) Anaxagore – un asteroïde de la ceinture principale d'astéroïdes et découvert en 1960.
Vous pouvez trouver un résumé excellent de la vie d'Anaxagore ici
