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
Look up after sunset for the most reliable meteor shower of the year: the Perseids, and learn where they come from! Image credit: Michael Menefee (Fort Photo on flickr), via […]
Did you hear about the EmDrive, the “impossible space engine?” Here are the red flags you should have looked for! Image credit: © 2012 — Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. “You can’t […]
How a scientist you never heard of made String Theory possible. Image credit: Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics, at http://aether.lbl.gov/bccp/dimensions.html. When he died on September 7, 2012, theoretical physicist Claud […]
This star cloud is the only one of its kind: the densest large concentration of stars in the entire sky! Image credit: Dan Bush of Missouri Skies, via http://www.pbase.com/image/115380497. “It […]
How one Polish cartoonist uses his medium and the power of satire to raise awareness of injustice in the world. Image credit: Useful by Pawel Kuczynski; http://www.pictorem.com/Useful. “Everybody wants peace. […]
From atoms to solar systems to galaxies, everything seems to have rotation and revolution. Where does that come from? Image credit: Fermilab / DOE / Dark Energy camera; Dark Energy […]
More science, more stories, and more spectacular scientists are coming to Starts With A Bang! Image credit: BBC, The Story of Science. “Men at some time are masters of their […]
The incredible story of a single simple atom, that just happens to be in your body right now! Image credit: Richard Crisp, via http://www.narrowbandimaging.com/incoming/horse_ap155edf_pl39k_lrgb_15hrs.jpg. “The atoms come into my brain, […]
If spinning-and-moving charges make magnetic fields, why does a giant neutral thing have one? Image credit: NASA, Chandra X-ray Observatory, SAO, DSS, via http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140725.html. “By allowing the positive ions to […]
The incredible story of the record-breaking red planet’s rover. “In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it.”–John Archibald Wheeler Sometimes, things get difficult. Sometimes, there are challenges […]
It’s the last Virgo Cluster member in the entire Messier catalogue, but they saved the best for last! Image credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO), via http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0608a/. “From a little spark […]
Piss off George Lucas and shoot your eye out with a real-life light saber! “General Kenobi. Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you […]
And if not, how do you reason with those who believe they are? “Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that […]
And what they mean for humans here on Earth. “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” –Alexander […]
If spiral galaxies have a preferred direction, it just might be. “Since the beginning of physics, symmetry considerations have provided us with an extremely powerful and useful tool in our […]
From asteroids to planets to stars and more, doubling what you’ve got can be disastrous! “Art has a double face, of expression and illusion, just like science has a double […]
The Virgo Cluster of galaxies is the richest nearby treasure trove of ellipticals; this is the final one Messier ever found. “We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, […]
Mike Denison’s artistic tribute to the small-screen legend is just delightful! “I’m not playing a role. I’m being myself, whatever the hell that is.” -Bea Arthur When it first came […]
The observer changes everything, but what does that mean? “You can observe a lot by just watching.” –Yogi Berra In our everyday lives, things happen the way they happen, and whether […]
As the 45th anniversary of Apollo 11 approaches, take time to remember the first human to reach the Moon. “Geologists have a saying: rocks remember.” –Neil Armstrong Looming up above us, […]
The DAMA experiment has seen an annual modulation in its signal for over a decade. But can it be explained without invoking dark matter? Today’s article comes courtesy of Sabine Hossenfelder. […]
They’re one of the great undetected predictions of dark matter, and we may have just found the first ones! “Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest […]
Amidst the great plane of the Milky Way, a glittering masterpiece awaits. “[T]his all fades to black, and it’s gone. It’s dust. Choose carefully what you obsess about.” -Meshell Ndegeocello […]
Seven out-of-this world tastes for the seven other planets in our Solar System. “I’ve learned what ‘classical’ means. It means something that sings and dances through sheer joy of existence.” –Gustav […]
Which ideas are likely, which ones are speculative, and which ones are pure fiction? “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think […]
We observe our Universe as it is today: 13.8 billion years old and full of galaxies. What would we see 100 billion years from now? “It is always wise to look […]
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 […]