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.
Get Starts With A Bang in your inbox
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
The science behind defeating one of Ninja Warrior’s toughest legendary obstacles! “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make […]
The far side looks *nothing* like the side that faces us. After 55 years, we may finally know why. “When you’re finally up at the moon looking back on earth, all […]
Peeking out through the galaxy’s dust, this ancient relic has plenty to offer if you know where to look! “When someone demands blind obedience, you’d be a fool not to peek.”–Jim […]
An amazing art project casts your heroes of TV and film as an imagination-firing set of Marvel superheroes! “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when […]
There’s a supermassive black hole at the center of almost all of them, but who came first? “One has to be an optimist; one has to hope that somewhere there’ll be […]
Gravity is a hard force to overcome, but some worlds get an unlikely assist that makes it all too easy. “Some prophecies are self-fulfillingBut I’ve had to work for all of […]
The quantum nature of the Universe ruins everything. “What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” –Werner Heisenberg When you think about the […]
And what are the odds that it’s out there? “Since stars appear to be suns, and suns, according to the common opinion, are bodies that serve to enlighten, warm, and sustain […]
And the unheralded astronomer who brought its secrets to light. “In a word, in the eyes of a giant, to whom our Suns were what our atoms are to us, the […]
This summer, help the educational Black Rock Observatory shine at Burning Man! “Catch on fire and people will come for miles to see you burn.” –John Wesley Now that summer is […]
Forget Pi day and Tau day. Make June 28th the best math holiday you’ve never considered! “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” –Beyoncé […]
If you thought “planets move about the sun in ellipses,” wait until you read this. “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of […]
The most common source for radioactive dating depends on our Universe being active. “Life exists in the universe only because the carbon atom possesses certain exceptional properties.” –James Jeans Here on […]
And is there a limit to how small they can possibly be? “They had discovered one could grow as hungry for light as for food.”-Stephen King When you turn your gaze […]
The brightest “planetary nebula” is actually a Sun-like star in its final death throes! “When he shall die,Take him and cut him out in little stars,And he will make the face […]
From President Camacho to Old Spice and beyond, his muscled comedic brilliance will leave you in stitches! “I call myself the Amusement Park. That’s because I’m funny and scary at […]
If so, why, and if not, why does it feel that way? “The brighter you are, the more you have to learn.” –Don Herold With the seasons about to turn to […]
What shape does the Sun trace out at the same time of day throughout the year? “Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, […]
A special for the World Cup: how do the world’s best “bend it like Beckham”? “Soccer matches should be something special, something people eagerly look forward to, something that brightens […]
On the shortest night of the year, a galactic giant — the faintest Messier object of all — towers overhead. “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. […]
How glassworker Loren Stump’s artwork is pushing the boundaries of the artform into uncharted waters. “I guess I just prefer to see the dark side of things. The glass is […]
How do we know how old the most distant objects we see actually are? “Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back […]
A little magnetism, a few impurities and liquid nitrogen make the magic happen! “I see miracles all around meStop and look, it’s all astoundingWater, fire, air and dirtFucking magnets, how do […]
It’s a huge surprise, and shows up in the most unlikely of places! “You cannot, in human experience, rush into the light. You have to go through the twilight into the […]
From College to Grad/Med/Law School to Scholarships and Jobs, these are the tips everyone should know “It’s a brilliant surface in that sunlight. The horizon seems quite close to you because […]
It’s not “particularly” any one characteristic, and that makes it a rarity worth looking at. “Conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will […]
Six seconds unlike any other you’ve ever seen is so worth it. “I saw for the first time the earth’s shape. I could easily see the shores of continents, islands, great […]
It’s the greatest cosmic masquerade of all: a star that fakes its own death! “If you are a dreamer come inIf you are a dreamer a wisher a liarA hoper a […]
A forgotten almost-hero of the 19th century still has something to teach about science… and style. “There is nothing more contemptible than a bald man who pretends to have hair.” –Martial […]
Here’s what it would look like if we started dreaming again. “There is just one thing I can promise you about the outer-space program — your tax-dollar will go further.” –Wernher von Braun […]