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.
Our observable Universe is finite, and so is the amount of information in it. Here’s what we may never know. “Despite its name, the big bang theory is not really […]
Gene Roddenberry would have celebrated his 95th birthday today. Many of his ideas have become reality, but some never will. “‘Star Trek’ says that it has not all happened, it […]
Inside the huge star-forming region filled with hot, new stars, Hubble takes us on an unforgettable tour. “This method of viewing the heavens seems to throw them into a new […]
Ever wanted to push your body’s limits, even without a partner/spotter? Technology has finally caught up to your ambitions! Note: I’ve received a number of questions about this post. This […]
Or if it were perfectly smooth, instead, could we have still had stars and galaxies by today? “First, you should check out my house. It’s, like, kinda lame, but way […]
Have you been enjoying the wonders that the skies offer? If you haven’t caught the Perseid meteor shower yet, don’t despair that the peak was Thursday morning; remember that Friday […]
Stars are born, live and die, but their light tells a remarkable story that changes over time. “Aristotle taught that stars are made of a different matter than the four […]
The glorious meteor shower peaking this week is the most consistent, year after year. Here’s why. “Men of genius are often dull and inert in society; as the blazing meteor, […]
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, […]