Starts With A Bang — July 27, 2016

Starts With A Bang #10: The Last Star In The Universe

Travel the universe with Dr. Ethan Siegel as he answers the biggest questions of all

While there are presently more than ~10²³ stars in the Universe shining today, each one of them is fated to live only for a finite amount of time. While more and more will continue to form, we’re already past the point of peak star formation in the Universe. How long will we have until, for the last time, the Universe’s last star goes out?

Find out on this edition of the Starts With A Bang podcast!

Travel the universe with Dr. Ethan Siegel as he answers the biggest questions of all

An abstract composite image depicting where life began with mountainous terrain, chemical structures, and a monochrome inset of a cloudy sky.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when life first sprang forth on Earth?

Although early Earth was a molten hellscape, once it cooled, life arose almost immediately. That original chain of life remains unbroken.

A computer-generated image of a bright celestial object with an accretion disk, possibly representing what the sun looked like when it was born.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when the Sun was born?

It took 9.2 billion years of cosmic evolution before our Sun and Solar System even began to form. Such a small event has led to so much.

Composition of the dark energy prominence universe showing percentages of dark energy, dark matter, and visible matter.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when dark energy rose to prominence?

Early on, only matter and radiation were important for the expanding Universe. After a few billion years, dark energy changed everything.

The Milky Way, a galaxy in space filled with stars, grew up.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when the Milky Way grew up?

Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is both completely normal and absolutely remarkable in a number of ways. Here’s the story of our cosmic home.

supernova remnant star formation spitzer

Starts With A Bang

4 unexpected lessons from the Milky Way’s weirdest star

One newly discovered, ancient star has a composition unlike any other. Explaining its existence is already blowing astronomers’ minds.

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