Ethan Siegel – Medium

Ethan Siegel

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

The most “boring” part of cosmic history shaped our modern Universe

It took nearly 400,000 years, after the Big Bang, to first form neutral atoms. The imprints from that early time can now be seen…

13h ago

The most “boring” part of cosmic history shaped our modern Universe

13h ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

JWST’s most ambitious view is now available to everyone

The COSMOS-Web survey is now complete, combining JWST and Hubble infrared data. Its spectacular views show us the Universe as never before.

1d ago

JWST’s most ambitious view is now available to everyone

1d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Ask Ethan: Is dark energy just leftover momentum from the Big Bang?

Since 1998, we’ve known our Universe isn’t just expanding, but the expansion is accelerating. Could the Big Bang itself be the reason why?

4d ago

Ask Ethan: Is dark energy just leftover momentum from the Big Bang?

4d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

The six strongest materials on Earth are harder than diamonds

For millennia, diamonds were the hardest known material, but they only rank at #7 on the current list. Can you guess which material is #1?

5d ago

The six strongest materials on Earth are harder than diamonds

5d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

This 1938 pro-science manifesto defended democracy against fascism

As democracy recedes and fascism rises in the USA and around the world in 2025, history provides a lesson in how science can fight fascism.

6d ago

This 1938 pro-science manifesto defended democracy against fascism

6d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

A new collider can teach us about the origin of matter

The laws of nature are almost perfectly symmetric between matter and antimatter, and yet our Universe is made ~100% of matter only. But…

May 6

A new collider can teach us about the origin of matter

May 6

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Why does physics break down at the Planck scale?

There are limits to where physics makes meaningful predictions: beyond the Planck length, time, or energy. Here’s why we can’t go further.

May 5

Why does physics break down at the Planck scale?

May 5

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Ask Ethan: When do stars turn the most mass into energy?

All stars shine due to an internal source of energy. Usually, it’s nuclear fusion: converting mass into energy. What makes them most…

May 2

Ask Ethan: When do stars turn the most mass into energy?

May 2

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Why 21 cm is our Universe’s “magic length”

Photons come in every wavelength you can imagine. But one particular quantum transition makes light at precisely 21 cm, and it’s magical.

May 1

Why 21 cm is our Universe’s “magic length”

May 1

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

The importance of caring about the truth

You don’t need to be a scientist or a philosopher for facts, reality, and the truth to matter. The alternative is simply known as bullshit.

Apr 30

The importance of caring about the truth

Apr 30

Ethan Siegel

Ethan Siegel

The Universe is: Expanding, cooling, and dark. It starts with a bang! #Cosmology Science writer, astrophysicist, science communicator & NASA columnist.

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