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.
In August 2012, Curiosity became the heaviest, most advanced rover to ever land on Mars. Here’s what the red planet looks like. “Studying whether there’s life on Mars or studying […]
An incredible art project creates a new, tiny world every day. “I’d rather create a miniature painting than a Taj Mahal of a book.”–Mohsin Hamid As small as it is […]
If dark matter is the most abundant form of mass, and has gravity, where are all the dark matter structures? “All enterprises that are entered into with indiscreet zeal may […]
It’s the leftover glow from the Big Bang. Here’s what it teaches us, and why you shouldn’t worry about “anomalies” in the CMB. “The radiation left over from the Big […]
Compared to a human lifetime, the Universe is ancient.But even a single year holds important changes. “We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we […]
A look at our galactic plane in the infrared reveals nebulae, explosions and new stars as never before. “That, then, is loveliness, we said,Children in wonder watching the stars,Is the […]
They only get stronger as time goes on. “Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.” –Earl […]
And are there independent ways to check? “Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.” –Stanislaw Jerzy Lec Each week at Starts With A Bang, […]
The “constant points of light” in the sky are often anything but. “To be is to be the value of a variable.” –Willard Van Orman Quine We look up at […]
With the full suite of evidence, there’s no escaping dark matter. “A cosmic mystery of immense proportions, once seemingly on the verge of solution, has deepened and left astronomers and […]
If you want to understand how a galaxy works, visible light is just the start. “Our knowledge of stars and interstellar matter must be based primarily on the electromagnetic radiation […]
How artist Brian Kane is bringing a moment of peace to one of the most urbanized, ad-saturated areas in the world. “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of […]
Even the dead stars still shine today, and will for a long time. But they, too, will fade to black. “As the blackness of the night recedes so does the […]
Yesterday was an epic day: NASA’s Kepler mission announced the discovery of what they called “the most Earth-like planet ever,” the smallest planet ever found that orbits a Sun-like star […]
Before you tout the next exoplanet as “the most Earth-like ever,” ask whether that’s true, and whether that’s even a good thing. “You can spend too much time wondering which […]
How the discovery of the first Pentaquark is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to new nuclear riches. “It was quite the most incredible event that has […]
Take a glimpse into the blackness of deep space, and here’s what you’ll find. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal […]
Why look for rare, precious metals on Earth when you can find them here? “Well, this is a thing unheard of. An Elf would go underground, where a Dwarf dare […]
“What was scattered, gathers.What was gathered, blows away.” –Heraclitus When you think of our Solar System, you think of planets (and other object) orbiting our central star, with moons (or […]
At some point, a star’s core runs out of fuel. Then what? “Man loves company — even if it is only that of a small burning candle.”–Georg C. Lichtenberg You normally think […]
Now that New Horizons has flown by the Plutonian system, can it be considered a planet after all? “Words are the source of misunderstandings.” –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Back in 1930, […]
A blue cosmic curtain can only mean one thing. “Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.”-Ernest Holmes Image credit: ESO/Igor Chekalin, […]
The best-kept secret in music festivals and the six great new bands I found. “Life is a festival only to the wise.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson Every weekend, I try to […]
There are three things an idea must do to become a full-fledged scientific theory. How does the Multiverse stack up? “It’s hard to build models of inflation that don’t lead […]
If you see a picture of a planet, can you identify which of the eight it is? “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes […]
Saw “Solar System Questions” by xkcd? Here’s what science thinks it knows. “Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together. […]
Could everything we’ve put together about science turn out to be wrong? “Revolutions are something you see only in retrospect.” –Alan Greenspan We’re always on the lookout for the next […]
The anatomy and science of what’s required for such a spectacular show. “Celebrate the independence of your nation by blowing up a small part of it.” –Summer of 4 ft. […]
The first human colonies might not be on the surface of Mars, but amidst the clouds of Venus. “I remember as a kid having a balloon and accidentally letting the […]
Discovering the face of Earth’s sister planet, Venus, beneath its cloudy veil. “Now, Venus is an extremely hostile environment, and as such presents a lot of challenges for a science […]