Ethan Siegel
A theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, host of popular podcast "Starts with a Bang!"
Ethan Siegel is a Ph.D. astrophysicist and author of "Starts with a Bang!" He is a science communicator, who professes physics and astronomy at various colleges. He has won numerous awards for science writing since 2008 for his blog, including the award for best science blog by the Institute of Physics. His two books "Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive" and "Beyond the Galaxy: How humanity looked beyond our Milky Way and discovered the entire Universe" are available for purchase at Amazon. Follow him on Twitter @startswithabang.
The Universe is not symmetric
The laws of physics obey certain symmetries and defy others. It's theoretically tempting to add new ones, but reality doesn't agree.
How James Webb will reveal what Hubble missed
Hubble's deepest views of space revealed fewer than 10% of the Universe's galaxies. James Webb will change that forever.
Ask Ethan: Are “super-Earths” really the most common planets in the Universe?
In terms of the planets we've discovered, super-Earths are by far the most common. What does that mean for the Universe?
Laniakea, our local supercluster, is being destroyed by dark energy
On the largest scales, galaxies don't simply clump together, but form superclusters. Too bad they don't remain bound together.
What is astrophysics?
If you want to understand what the Universe is, how it began, evolved, and will eventually end, astrophysics is the only way to go.
Has a new experiment just proven the quantum nature of gravity?
At a fundamental level, nobody knows whether gravity is truly quantum in nature. A novel experiment strongly hints that it is.
How many planets are there in the Universe?
In 1990, we only knew of the ones in our Solar System. Today, we know of thousands, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Ask Ethan: How do we know the Universe’s temperature?
We frequently say it's 2.725 K: from the light left over all the way from the Big Bang. But that's not all that's in the Universe.
Four scientific ways we can be certain the Moon landings were real
Even though no human has stepped foot on the Moon's surface in 50 years, the evidence of our presence there remains unambiguous.
What is “early dark energy” and can it save the expanding Universe?
There are two fundamentally different ways of measuring the Universe's expansion. They disagree. "Early dark energy" might save us.
Record-breaking supernova manages to “X-ray” the entire Universe
The first supernova ever discovered through its X-rays has an enormously powerful engine at its core. It's unlike anything ever seen.
How, exactly, does planet Earth move through the Universe?
The Solar System isn't a vortex, but rather the sum of all our great cosmic motions. Here's how we move through space.
Starts With A Bang Podcast #77: Stellar Destruction with Dr. Yvette Cendes
Some stars burn through their fuel as expected, and die of natural causes. But others, instead, get murdered. Here's their story.
Ask Ethan: Could the ‘Breakthrough Starshot’ project even survive its planned journey?
With advanced laser technology and an appropriate sail, we could accelerate objects to ~20% the speed of light. But would they survive?
How the unstable muon could revolutionize experimental particle physics
Particle physics needs a new collider to supersede the Large Hadron Collider. Muons, not electrons or protons, might hold the key.
The Universe is already in its sixth and final era
From before the Big Bang to the present day, the Universe goes through many eras. Dark energy heralds the final one.
Why didn’t black holes exist right after the Big Bang?
Known as primordial black holes, they could thoroughly change our Universe's history. But the evidence is strongly against them.
The launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was the perfect gift for 2022
For many, it was just a successful launch like any other. But for scientists around the globe, it was a victory few dared to imagine.
Ask Ethan: How long until our calendar needs replacing?
Even with leap years and long-term planning, our calendar won't be good forever. Here's why, and how to fix it.
This is why physicists suspect the Multiverse very likely exists
A wild, compelling idea without a direct, practical test, the Multiverse is highly controversial. But its supporting pillars sure are stable.
America’s big mistake about science literacy came back to haunt us in 2021
Developing an awareness of and an appreciation for science is what we all truly need, not what we've been doing.
Is the universe actually a fractal?
On larger and larger scales, many of the same structures we see at small ones repeat themselves. Do we live in a fractal Universe?
The red color of Mars is only inches deep
The surface and atmosphere is colored by ferric oxides. Beneath a very thin layer, mere millimeters deep in places, it's not red anymore.
How small was the Universe when the hot Big Bang began?
We know it couldn't have began from a singularity. So how small could it have been at the absolute minimum?
New evidence strongly suggests COVID is natural, not from a lab leak
We don't know with 100% certainty where SARS-CoV-2 first came from or how it first infected humans. But not all options are equally likely.
10 unbelievable but true facts about NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
With launch, deployment, calibration, and science operations about to commence, here are 10 facts that are absolutely true.
Yes, the gold given to baby Jesus was made in a neutron star collision
When three wise men gifted baby Jesus with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they had no idea one was made from colliding neutron stars.
Why modern astronomy needs photometry, not just more light
The photometric filters for the Vera Rubin Observatory are complete and showcase why they are indispensable for astronomy.
Ask Ethan: Why haven’t we made “first contact” with aliens yet?
Life arose on Earth very early on. After a few billion years, here we are: intelligent and technologically advanced. Where's everyone else?
No, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe didn’t “touch the Sun”
How can you "touch the Sun" if you've always been inside the solar corona, yet will never reach the Sun's photosphere?