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.
When our imaginations run wild, it’s important to remember that’s our fault, not the data’s. “Otherwise we are trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t exist with a system which doesn’t […]
It’s the most distant galaxy cluster ever discovered, and it’s exactly in line with our predictions! “These galaxies are among the most massive galaxies in the universe and are believed […]
Astrophysicists have been looking for worlds like Proxima b since the 19th century. At last, they’re found! This article is contributed by Sabine Hossenfelder. Sabine is a theoretical physicist specialized in […]
How we know some galaxies have more than others. “Motions of the stars tell you how much matter there is. They don’t care what form the matter is, they just tell […]
When the next big solar flare comes for Earth, will we be ready? “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to […]
The present story is only the beginning; there’s a revolution coming! “Our existence in this place, this microscopic corner of the cosmos, is fleeting. With utter disregard for our wants […]
Now that we know the closest star has a potentially habitable planet, it’s time to ask if it’s really like ours. “To consider the Earth as the only populated world in […]
Images credit: New York Times, 10 November 1919 (L); Illustrated London News, 22 November 1919 (R). If the cloud situation had played out differently, the United States might have confirmed […]
https://players.brightcove.net/2097119709001/4kXWOFbfYx_default/index.html?videoId=5093427476001 In 1946, we made history by photographing the Earth from space for the first time. How far we’ve come! “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an […]
The latest Starts With A Bang Podcast holds the answers. Our Universe has been expanding and evolving since the hot, dense, expanding state known as the Big Bang first came to […]
We’re looking back in time when we look across the light years, so what’s different between what we see and what’s really there? “I saw a star explode and send out […]
Or can moving at relativistic speeds through a general relativistic Universe change everything? “Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there’s nothing you can […]
There’s a big gap between Helium and Carbon. Come find out why! “And argon, krypton, neon, radon, xenon, zinc and rhodium,And chlorine, cobalt, carbon, copper, tungsten, tin and sodium.These are the […]
“Eureka!” is not always as powerful as “that’s what I thought!” “Reality is what kicks back when you kick it. This is just what physicists do with their particle accelerators. […]
How they get so big so fast is a mystery. Could “direct collapse” be the solution we’re seeking? “For something to collapse, not all systems have to shut down. In most […]
After nearly 20 years in orbit around Saturn, Cassini prepares to say goodbye. “All the atoms of our bodies will be blown into space in the disintegration of the solar system, […]
Galaxy-sized? Human-sized? Atom-sized? Even smaller? How tiny can a bit of space be and still expand? “We now have the best picture of how galaxies like our own formed their stars.” […]
If you thought Usain Bolt’s 9.58s world record time in the 100 meters was ever in jeopardy, this shows how unlikely that was. “A lot of legends, a lot of people, […]
If you gazed up at the Perseids, you’ll want to appreciate the fact that we’re still here. “Honestly, if you’re given the choice between Armageddon or tea, you don’t say ‘what […]
Could the Universe loop around on itself, and might you come back out the other side? “For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned […]
The 750 GeV particle that the LHC thought it saw? A sham. And we all should have known. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are […]
A shining bauble among a diffuse cloud of stellar debris has a tremendously interesting physics story behind it. “Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; […]
46 billion light years in all directions in just 13.8 billion years? Here’s how it’s done! “They say the universe is expanding. That should help with the traffic.” –Steven Wright There are […]
Using incomplete facts to spin a false narrative and mislead the public is the modus operandi of a political liar. “I’m not a natural leader. I’m too intellectual; I’m too […]
200 meteors per hour is only three per minute, and with a more-than-half full moon out, you might want to stay inside. “My dad took me out to see a meteor […]
If you think you can just add up its components, you’re 99% short! “Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in […]
For the central 8,000 light years, there are practically no tracers of new stars. What gives? “This suggests a lack of Cepheids in the inner 2.5 kpc region of the Galactic […]
Does your galaxy have a black eye? It’s not because of violence, I promise! “He ate and drank the precious Words,his Spirit grew robust;He knew no more that he was poor,nor […]
If you’re looking for a point in space, the answer is going to shock you. “The world you see, nature’s greatest and most glorious creation, and the human mind which gazes […]
More than a million times what we make at the LHC, these could be the ultimate keys to nature. “Energy is liberated matter, matter is energy waiting to happen.” –Bill Bryson […]