Ethan Siegel – Medium

Ethan Siegel

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Why the number “1/137” appears everywhere in nature

One of the fundamental constants of nature, the fine-structure constant, determines so much about our Universe. Here’s why it matters.

2d ago

Why the number “1/137” appears everywhere in nature

2d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

What happens when a gravitational wave meets a black hole?

Gravitational waves are the last signatures that are emitted by merging black holes. What happens when these two phenomena meet in space?

3d ago

What happens when a gravitational wave meets a black hole?

3d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

The Steady-State Universe: a viable alternative to the Big Bang?

For nearly 60 years, the hot Big Bang has been accepted as the best story of our cosmic origin. Could the Steady-State theory be possible?

4d ago

The Steady-State Universe: a viable alternative to the Big Bang?

4d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Could dark matter be the same thing as dark energy?

Two parts of our Universe that seem to be unavoidable are dark matter and dark energy. Could they really be two aspects of the same thing?

5d ago

Could dark matter be the same thing as dark energy?

5d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Scalar fields: the secret sauce of theoretical physics

Scalars, vectors, and tensors come up all the time in physics. They’re more than mathematical structures. They help describe the Universe.

6d ago

Scalar fields: the secret sauce of theoretical physics

6d ago

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

Ask Ethan: Does the CMB really “prove” the Big Bang?

Since the mid-1960s, the CMB has been identified with the Big Bang’s leftover glow. Could any alternative explanations still work?

Nov 29

Ask Ethan: Does the CMB really “prove” the Big Bang?

Nov 29

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

How to make peace with the weirdness of quantum mechanics

Our classical intuition is no good in a quantum Universe. To make sense of it, we need to learn, and apply, an entirely novel set of rules.

Nov 28

How to make peace with the weirdness of quantum mechanics

Nov 28

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

What happens if you deep fry a frozen turkey?

It’s the ultimate setup for a Thanksgiving Day disaster. The physics of water and its solid, liquid, and gas phases compels us not to do…

Nov 27

What happens if you deep fry a frozen turkey?

Nov 27

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

What do JWST’s “red monster” galaxies mean for cosmology?

The most massive early galaxies grew up faster, and have more stars, than astronomers expected, according to JWST. What does it all mean?

Nov 26

What do JWST’s “red monster” galaxies mean for cosmology?

Nov 26

Published in
Starts With A Bang!

5 coincidences that make our existence possible

There are a few small cosmic details that, if things were just a little different, wouldn’t have allowed our existence to be possible.

Nov 25

5 coincidences that make our existence possible

Nov 25

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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