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 depends where you look. The answer is relatively awesome! “If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” –Mario Andretti One of Einstein’s most famous fundamental laws is that […]
Om nom nom nom nom… “That what wrong with the media today. All they have is questions, questions, questions. They never have cookies.” –Cookie Monster When most people think of black […]
It’s the most mysterious “stuff” our Universe has. So why are we so sure it’s real? “The Universe is made mostly of dark matter and dark energy, and we don’t know […]
The most distant world ever imaged by fly-by reveals a richer terrain than anyone ever expected. “The cosmic game changed forever in 1992. Before then, logic told us that there […]
Stephen Hawking said there’s a way out. Stephen Hawking lied. “Not only does God play dice, but… he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.” –Stephen Hawking By definition, black […]
“The Greatest” defeated all opponents when the heavyweight division was its richest. Has any physicist done the same? “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did […]
And if it is, what does that mean for dark energy, and our Universe’s fate? “Until the 1990s, there were few reliable observations about movement at the scale of the […]
The gravitational waves were real. But earlier announcements that X-rays and gamma-rays were detected, too? Not so much. “What’s really exciting is what comes next. I think we’re opening a window […]
At its hottest, the closest world to the Sun reaches up to 800º Fahrenheit. But another has it beat. “There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable […]
Without the inherent quantum uncertainty to nature, the source of all our light and heat would never shine. “The bedrock nature of space and time and the unification of cosmos and […]
The Sun might not be responsible for the short-term warming we’re experiencing now, but in the end, it’s all that matters. “We have known since the 1800s that carbon dioxide traps […]
Occasionally, a star will blow off its outer layers in a sphere. The vast majority don’t, and ours probably won’t, either. “The self-same atoms which, chaotically dispersed, made the nebula, now, […]
Today, it’s the most obvious thing in the world. But how do you prove it to yourself? “A long time ago people believed that the world is flat and the […]
Einstein’s most famous equation didn’t have to be this way, but it is, all the same. “Science is global. Einstein’s equation, E=mc^2, has to reach everywhere. Science is a beautiful gift […]
It’s an old idea made new again, but it just might fall apart. “[The black hole] teaches us that space can be crumpled like a piece of paper into an infinitesimal […]
Will Curiosity outlast Opportunity, the rover it was designed to supersede? Or will it fail, since it’s too big for its britches? “By refocusing our space program on Mars for […]
And the science of how we can find it. This article is written by Sabine Hossenfelder. Sabine is a theoretical physicist specialized in quantum gravity and high energy physics. She also […]
When you get enough mass together, Einstein’s theory of gravity causes space to act like a lens. Here are the results. “The first amazing fact about gravitation is that the ratio […]
If the Universe is infinite and full of stars and galaxies, why can’t we see something everywhere we look? “When you get just a complete sense of blackness or void ahead […]
It took hundreds of years for Einstein to dethrone him, and even then, he was off by less than 1% of a spectacular prediction.
In 1998, cosmologists got the surprise of a lifetime. Here’s how our Universe would’ve looked without cosmic acceleration. “We’ve known for a long time that the universe is expanding. But […]
The tiniest hints are enough to spark big dreams. “I’m a fan of supersymmetry, largely because it seems to be the only route by which gravity can be brought into the […]
It might not be an actual supernova remnant, but thanks to 3D printing, it’s the next best thing! This article was written by Kim Kowal Arcand. Kim is the Visualization Lead […]
It’s bigger than anything on Earth. Hell, it’s bigger than Earth! “More days to come / new places to goI’ve got to leave / it’s time for a showHere I am […]
The answer is larger than you might think, and applies in some shocking ways! “The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way […]
They’re judged to be “standard candles” and the greatest cosmic distance indicators. What if they’re not so standard? “It’s everywhere, really. It’s between the galaxies. It is in this room. […]
If we look to the distant future, with unlimited technology, how far could we reach? “Even if I stumble on to the absolute truth of any aspect of the universe, I […]
The periodic table offers up so many possibilities, but some things are off-limits in our Solar System. “There’s no god, it’s the elements that control this world and everything on it.” […]
Could finding a planet capable of supporting humans already be within our reach? “The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so vast and the treasures hidden in the heavens so […]
Ultra-deep field? Move over; there’s a new deepest-view of all! “In other words, theory attempts to segregate the minimum number of possible worlds which must include the actual world we inhabit. […]