The universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
Our mission: to answer, scientifically, the biggest questions of all.
- What is our universe made of?
- How did it become the way it is today?
- Where did everything come from?
- What is the ultimate fate of the cosmos?
For countless generations, these were questions without resolutions. Now, for the first time in history, we have scientific answers. Starts With A Bang, written by Dr. Ethan Siegel, brings these stories — of what we know and how we know it — directly to you.
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Featured
Nuclear fusion explained
Why power generated through nuclear fusion will be the future, but not the present, solution to humanity’s energy needs.
It’s a strange idea to consider: that a tiny building block of matter, the atomic nucleus, holds the greatest potential for energy release.
And yet, it’s true; while electron transitions in atoms or molecules typically release energy on the order of ~1 electron-Volt, nuclear transitions between different configurations release energies a million times as great, on the order of ~1 Mega-electron-Volt.
Popular
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.
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.
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.
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.
Does the expansion of the Universe break the speed of light?
Just 13.8 billion years after the hot Big Bang, we can see 46.1 billion light-years away in all directions. Doesn’t that violate…something?
All Stories
Ask Ethan: Why is the Universe electrically neutral?
For some reason, the charges on the electron and proton are equal and opposite, and their numbers are equal, too. But why?
Most distant laser ever found in a galaxy 6.6 billion light-years away
Forget about the terawatt lasers we're making on Earth. This natural one is thousands of times more powerful than the Sun.
Is the Universe infinite?
As far as we can tell, there's no limit to how far it goes on; only a limit to how far we can see. Could the Universe truly be infinite?
Einstein wasn’t a “lone genius” after all
Even the most brilliant mind in history couldn't have achieved all he did without significant help from the minds of others.
“Farthest galaxy ever” HD1 is probably not what it seems
We've fooled ourselves before with galaxies that look just like this one. The evidence we have simply isn't strong enough.
Starts With A Bang Podcast #80: The cosmos, James Webb, and beyond
In the latest edition of the Starts With A Bang podcast, we talk with soon-to-be Dr. Arianna Long about galaxies, from birth to today.
Ask Ethan: Could “heavy light” be the missing dark matter?
Our Universe requires dark matter in order to make sense of things, astrophysically. Could massive photons do the trick?
Did Fermilab’s new result blow a hole in the Standard Model?
Fermilab's TeVatron just released the best mass measurement of the W-boson, ever. Here's what doesn't add up.
Time dilation is real, and your head ages faster than your feet
The idea of "absolute time" was our default for millennia. But time is relative, as gravity and motion both cause time to dilate.
Earendel, our most distant star, could be Hubble’s last hurrah
The Hubble Space Telescope, 32 years after its launch, broke the all-time record for most distant star. It won't do better.
Shocking exoplanet image reveals a new way to make Jupiters
The story of how Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were made isn't a universal one. Some gas giants were built different.
Ask Ethan: Is there a better way to measure cosmic time?
For some reason, when we talk about the age of stars, galaxies, and the Universe, we use "years" to measure time. Can we do better?
When will the Earth come to an end?
From life on Earth to the planet itself, there are four ways our planet will actually experience "the end," no matter how we define it.
Wow! The Milky Way is almost as old as the Universe itself
Galactic archaeology has uncovered a spectacular find: the Milky Way already existed more than 13 billion years ago.
Where did the Universe come from?
To answer any physical question, you must ask the Universe itself. But what happens when the answers aren't around anymore?
What’s behind every square degree in outer space?
Even a tiny sliver of the Universe can reveal the cosmic story of what's out there and how it came to be the way it is today.
Ask Ethan: Should Alpha Centauri be our first interstellar target?
The closest star system to Earth, just over 4 light-years away, has three stars and at least one Earth-sized planet. Is it time to go there?
Here’s what the first 5000 exoplanets have taught us
In 1990, we only knew of the planets in our own Solar System. Today, the exoplanet count is more than 5000. Here's what we've learned.
What is the coldest place in the Universe?
Empty, intergalactic space is just 2.725 K: not even three degrees above absolute zero. But the Boomerang Nebula is even colder.
Where do James Webb’s unique “spikes” come from?
When we started imaging the Universe with Hubble, every star had four "spikes" coming from it. Here's why Webb will have more.
The Al Naslaa rock formation is Earth’s most bizarre geological feature
In the Saudi Arabian desert, the Al Naslaa rock formation looks completely unnatural. Its perfectly vertical split remains a mystery.
Starts With A Bang podcast #79 – the far infrared Universe
The far infrared reveals both the coldest and hottest gas in the Universe, and can teach us what no other wavelength range can.
Ask Ethan: Are “North” and “South” totally arbitrary on Earth?
Is there any good reason for assigning North and South the way we do, or could we have just as easily done the reverse?
What is the strongest material on Earth?
For millennia, diamonds were the hardest known material, but they only rank at #7 on the current list. Can you guess which material is #1?
How fast does the Earth move?
It rotates on its axis, revolves around the Sun, moves throughout the Milky Way, and gets carried by our galaxy all throughout space.
How science can solve the mystery of why we exist at all
The laws of physics state that you can't create or destroy matter without also creating or destroying an equal amount of antimatter. So how are we here?
Behold as the planets gather in March 2022’s morning skies
In the night sky for March of 2022, only stars and the Moon, not planets, will greet you. The real show, however, arrives just before dawn.
Ask Ethan: Can science prove the existence of God?
Despite all that we've learned about the Universe, there remain unanswered, and possibly unanswerable, questions. Could "God" be the answer?
What we wish we knew about the origin of life
Shortly after planet Earth formed, life took a permanent hold on our surface. But just how common is such an outcome?
How much dark matter passes through your body each second?
If dark matter exists in a large halo in our galaxy, made up of particles, then it's passing through us constantly. But how much?