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
It’s not just leaps and breakthroughs, but a way of thinking and a way of life. Are you in? “When I say, ‘I love you,’ it’s not because I want […]
According to relativity, there’s no universal frame of reference. But the Big Bang gave us one anyway. “The slow philosophy is not about doing everything in tortoise mode. It’s less […]
Cepheids are the hottest, brightest variable stars of all. When they’re surrounded by gas, a spectacular light-echo can follow. “What is history? An echo of the past in the future; […]
The pictures of Stuart Palley tell a story that no words can. “the way to create art is to burn and destroyordinary concepts and to substitute themwith new truths that […]
There’s no such thing as absolute time, but after 13.8 billion years, is anything relatively different? “The total number of people who understand relativistic time, even after eighty years since […]
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 […]