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
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
From before the Big Bang to the present day, the Universe goes through many eras. Dark energy heralds the final one.
A wild, compelling idea without a direct, practical test, the Multiverse is highly controversial. But its supporting pillars sure are stable.
The surface and atmosphere is colored by ferric oxides. Beneath a very thin layer, mere millimeters deep in places, it’s not red anymore.
The first supernova ever discovered through its X-rays has an enormously powerful engine at its core. It’s unlike anything ever seen.
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
How the “hierarchy problem,” or why gravity is so much weaker than everything else, might be the key to the entire Universe. “I just think too many nice things have […]
In Munich last week, physicists and philosophers debate what makes for a scientific theory. Surprisingly, no one agrees. This piece was written by Sabine Hossenfelder. Sabine is a theoretical physicist specialized […]
Not water, not ice, and definitely not aliens. Here’s how we know. “You are the salt of the earth. But remember that salt is useful when in association, but useless in […]
Neither astronomers nor native Hawaiians are to blame, but it’s up to everyone to get it right moving forward. “The cause of Hawaiian independence is larger and dearer than the life […]
Life on Earth may not be the only way. But could it be this different? This article is written by Jillian Scudder, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Sussex in the […]
Our Sun will someday become a red giant, and then a planetary nebula + white dwarf combination. Here’s what lies between. “It will be found that those contained in one article […]
Clear skies? Go out and watch! Want a better show? Read on! “Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” –Walt Whitman When it comes to meteor showers, most people […]
Hawking’s greatest achievement is also the greatest source of misunderstanding. “Maybe that is our mistake: maybe there are no particle positions and velocities, but only waves. It is just that […]
Ice mountains, frozen nitrogen flats and surprisingly familiar features show what the outermost worlds looks like. “We’ve learned that the view of four inner rocky planets and four outer gas giants […]
After hydrogen and helium, the periodic table is full of surprises. “The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.” –Harlan Ellison One of the most remarkable […]
Which makes you wonder what other “candidate worlds” aren’t worlds after all. “These types of systems could be ubiquitous in the universe. This is a really exciting time for planet hunters.” […]
Dark things come in small packages, but the reason why is what’s truly astounding. “A dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than a giant himself.” […]
The largest asteroid in the Solar System is hiding volatile materials that have never seen the Sun. “Lots of science fiction deals with distant times and places. Intrepid prospectors in the […]
Don’t even think about getting anything other than this one! “No one regards what is before his feet; we all gaze at the stars.” –Quintus Ennius If you are (or you […]
While a “counter-Earth” may be impossible, there are three other ways it could actually work out. “We are not like the social insects. They have only the one way of doing […]
Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the universal story of us all is with us every day. “We live in an atmosphere of shame. We are ashamed of everything that is […]
There was a huge problem a century ago, and it took an Einstein to solve it. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to […]
Dark matter may be cold and collisionless, but the strange behavior of planets just might lead to its detection. “Few enterprises of great labor or hazard would be undertaken if […]
When two of the largest cosmic structures crash together, the effects show up everywhere. Everywhere, that is, but the dark matter. “It may be that ultimately the search for dark matter […]
The picture is real, but the UFO explanation? Surely we can do better. “It’s almost like I feel I’m just moving there, and I’m not coming back.”–Scott Kelly On his 233rd […]
If they eat everything they come in contact with, how do quasars shine so bright? “Twinkle, twinkle quasi-star.Biggest puzzle from afar.How unlike the other ones.Brighter than a billion suns.Twinkle, twinkle, quasi-star.How […]
Chances are you wound up following Starts With A Bang here on Medium because of something we said, wrote or shared about the Universe. Chances are you love the natural […]
Happy Birthday To The Person Who Literally Brought Us The Entire Universe “Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.” –Edwin Hubble As […]
And it couldn’t have done it without the heat from our world. “Cheap little rhymesA cheap little tuneAre sometimes as dangerousAs a sliver of the moon.” –Langston Hughes If you’ve ever […]
The force that has only been seen on the largest cosmic scales affects smaller ones, too. We just need to look well enough. “There are still so many questions to answer. […]
As we all still recover from the Paris attacks, remember the beauty and joy of one of the most forgotten French discoveries. “Truth is more valuable if it takes you […]
We really did design the world in our own image. “Every great work makes the human face more admirable and richer, and that is its whole secret.” –Albert Camus Whenever we […]
And what technology will it take for us to get there? “Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on […]
And because of it, we can learn about quantum entanglement across a black hole’s event horizon. This article was contributed to Starts With A Bang by Sabine Hossenfelder, whose blog, Backreaction, […]
See it over the coming six weeks, before it disappears and heads out of the Solar System forever. “I have worn myself thin trying to find out about this comet, and […]