Ethan Siegel
A theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, host of popular podcast "Starts with a Bang!"
Ethan Siegel is a Ph.D. astrophysicist and author of "Starts with a Bang!" He is a science communicator, who professes physics and astronomy at various colleges. He has won numerous awards for science writing since 2008 for his blog, including the award for best science blog by the Institute of Physics. His two books "Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive" and "Beyond the Galaxy: How humanity looked beyond our Milky Way and discovered the entire Universe" are available for purchase at Amazon. Follow him on Twitter @startswithabang.
Out beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper belt, whose residents we can see. But what’s out there beyond that? “The great oak of Astronomy has been felled, and we are lost […]
Even though we can’t see individual galaxies past a certain point, we know they’re there. Here’s the first evidence. “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some […]
The most spectacular satellite system of any known planet, Saturn’s Rings are a sight like no other. “This then, I thought, as I looked round about me, is the representation […]
Tired of wires, breadboards and the traditional electrical mess? Try drawing your electrical path instead! “Drawing is not only a way to come up with pictures: drawing is a way […]
Is looking for radio transmissions in space like claiming the lack of smoke signals means there are no modern humans? “[W]hat Fermi immediately realized was that the aliens have had […]
Dark matter makes up the vast majority of mass in the Universe, and most of it is unknown. But not all of it. “A cosmic mystery of immense proportions, once […]
If there’s only one Higgs, no unexpected decays and no new fundamental, heavy particles, it might all be over. “There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All […]
There are lots of wrong reasons out there, but only one that matters. “The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in […]
Only 0.1% of all stars will die in a type II supernova. This one’s running away so fast, it’s literally a “shocking” sight. “The thing is, when you see your […]
The cologne marketed to men as “catnip for women” actually works. Only, not on women, but on jungle cats. “The impact of an attacking tiger can be compared to that […]
Is it possible, how would it affect us, and would we be destroyed as a result? “There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is […]
Mariam Sultana became her country’s first woman with a Ph.D. in astrophysics. This is her story, with an update on where she is now. Mariam Sultana, Pakistan’s very first woman […]
A leftover glow unlike any other — of neutrinos — has finally been seen. “When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.” –Jenna Morasca Seventy years […]
By Ethan SiegelImages: NASA, Francis Godwin, OSA As part of the Space Glass project — Ethan Seigel, astrophysicist, science communicator & NASA columnist explains how technology, imagination and our desires come together […]
Starts With A Bang on Medium is a labor of love: a love for the story of the Universe as it tells us about itself. It’s a story unlike any […]
Once a complete mystery, the Cassini mission has solved them at last! “It is marvelous indeed to watch on television the rings of Saturn close; and to speculate on what […]
Thanks to 3D printing, creativity and a lot of effort, this DIY Optimus Prime cake is unlike any other. “When he came home, I could see a change. He was […]
Or is this an example of the media hype surrounding Hawking going nuts? “Thus it seems Einstein was doubly wrong when he said, God does not play dice. Not only […]
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 […]