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
These cosmic optical illusions are more common than you think. “I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap.” –Ani DiFranco If […]
What we can see extends for 46.1 billion light years in all directions today. So how big was it at birth? “They say it all started out with a big bang. […]
From the Milky Way’s perspective, there are hundreds of galaxies visible with even a small telescope. But from this galaxy’s location? Zero. “If the expansion of the space of the […]
A discovery that never would have happened with robots instead of humans. “It’s like trying to describe what you feel when you’re standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or […]
Scientists work on it, it’s consistent with science, and it hopes to be the biggest scientific breakthrough of all. But it’s missing one key ingredient. “As of now, string theorists […]
We know the Standard Model isn’t all there is. So why haven’t we found a single particle outside of it? “I often feel a discomfort, a kind of embarrassment, when I […]
Spirals and ellipticals rule the Universe, but every so often, something far more intricate shows up. “For me, the study of these laws is inseparable from a love of Nature […]
If energy is always conserved, then what “gains” the energy that photons lose as the Universe expands? “…in every kind of chemical change no loss of matter occurs […] in all […]
How does he deliver presents to hundreds of millions of households in just one night? With physics, of course! “Our family was too strange and weird for even Santa Claus to […]
If there is a quantum theory of gravity, is String Theory the only game in town? “I just think too many nice things have happened in string theory for it to […]
An Applicant’s Guide To NASA Astronaut Selection This guest post was written by Brian Shiro: NOAA geophysicist, NASA researcher, and co-founder of Astronauts for Hire. “I wasn’t destined to be […]
Science is the best tool we have for predicting the future. Here’s what the next year ought to bring. “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s […]
These stars are too hot and blue for their age, and the leading theory just got a strike against it. “Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work […]
Both are beautiful gifts, but only one is a beautiful learning experience. “The time will come when diligent research over long periods will bring to light things which now lie […]
It’s rare to find a galaxy where the arms wrap around even a full 360 degrees. But after billions of years, why is that? “The farther we peer into space, the […]
How the “hierarchy problem,” or why gravity is so much weaker than everything else, might be the key to the entire Universe. “I just think too many nice things have […]
In Munich last week, physicists and philosophers debate what makes for a scientific theory. Surprisingly, no one agrees. This piece was written by Sabine Hossenfelder. Sabine is a theoretical physicist specialized […]
Not water, not ice, and definitely not aliens. Here’s how we know. “You are the salt of the earth. But remember that salt is useful when in association, but useless in […]
Neither astronomers nor native Hawaiians are to blame, but it’s up to everyone to get it right moving forward. “The cause of Hawaiian independence is larger and dearer than the life […]
Life on Earth may not be the only way. But could it be this different? This article is written by Jillian Scudder, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Sussex in the […]
Our Sun will someday become a red giant, and then a planetary nebula + white dwarf combination. Here’s what lies between. “It will be found that those contained in one article […]
Clear skies? Go out and watch! Want a better show? Read on! “Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” –Walt Whitman When it comes to meteor showers, most people […]
Hawking’s greatest achievement is also the greatest source of misunderstanding. “Maybe that is our mistake: maybe there are no particle positions and velocities, but only waves. It is just that […]
Ice mountains, frozen nitrogen flats and surprisingly familiar features show what the outermost worlds looks like. “We’ve learned that the view of four inner rocky planets and four outer gas giants […]
After hydrogen and helium, the periodic table is full of surprises. “The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.” –Harlan Ellison One of the most remarkable […]
Which makes you wonder what other “candidate worlds” aren’t worlds after all. “These types of systems could be ubiquitous in the universe. This is a really exciting time for planet hunters.” […]
Dark things come in small packages, but the reason why is what’s truly astounding. “A dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than a giant himself.” […]
The largest asteroid in the Solar System is hiding volatile materials that have never seen the Sun. “Lots of science fiction deals with distant times and places. Intrepid prospectors in the […]
Don’t even think about getting anything other than this one! “No one regards what is before his feet; we all gaze at the stars.” –Quintus Ennius If you are (or you […]