StartsWithABang

The Universe is expanding, cooling, and dark. It started with a bang, and I'm here to bring it all to you!

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startswithabang_at_astrodon.social@mostr.pub

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Last Notes

2024-10-16 15:29:42

How NASA’s Europa Clipper helps the hunt for alien life
NASA's Europa Clipper mission, our first dedicated mission to a water world, really is revolutionary when it comes to searching for extraterrestrial life.
Here's why you should care.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/nasa-europa-clipper-alien-life/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/113/317/811/188/336/948/original/e2b649ad0e083362.jpg

2024-10-09 15:17:01

How ideas from physics drive AI: the 2024 Nobel Prize
Yeah yeah, "computer science isn't physics" and all.
I understand the sentiment, but AI, ML, and artificial neural networks in general really do have a physics foundation, like it or not.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/physics-ai-2024-nobel-prize/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/113/278/125/306/065/926/original/59ceca18c7edd91c.jpg

2024-09-17 16:43:03

To all of those asking me what I think of <insert wild, untrue assertion>, consider this.
It's easy to hate on stuff, but it's not my style.
I have to steel myself for every debunker piece I do.
I'd much rather be excited about what we're discovering and what's actually real.

2024-08-27 14:55:47

It’s important that weight and mass are not the same
Yes, everyone knows that weight and mass aren't the same thing.
But not everyone knows why this insight is so profound, even among physics teachers.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/weight-mass-not-same/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/113/034/560/776/896/662/original/115402dc286b6b29.jpg

2024-08-02 11:17:06

Can we detect dark matter if it’s truly collisionless?
#AskEthan
There is a very real chance that we'll never detect dark matter directly.
Here's why we shouldn't fear that scenario, and why it's still so important to keep looking.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/detect-dark-matter-collisionless/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/892/142/369/028/453/original/7e7041bfe4fb7bb4.jpeg

2024-07-03 15:10:56

How the Solar System led planet-hunters astray
Of the more than 5000 exoplanets we've discovered, exactly zero of them are like the planets in our own Solar System.
It'll be up to NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory to change that.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/solar-system-planet-hunters-astray/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/723/192/819/770/378/original/a56e79dff41dade3.jpg

2024-06-25 14:58:29

Why JWST doesn’t have the same limits as Hubble
Every telescope and observatory has fundamental limits.
Here's why JWST's are so far beyond Hubble's, but why the very first stars and galaxies are beyond what JWST can see.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/jwst-limits-hubble/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/677/844/939/083/266/original/50575cf7345ff1d9.jpg

2024-06-08 16:07:53

New podcast! The troublesome hunt for Planet Nine, featuring Dr. Sam Lawler as my remarkable guest.
Yes, I've spoken with Dr. Michele Bannister and Dr. Mike "plutokiller" Brown about it before, but it's 2024!
Here's where we are today, no thanks to Starlink satellites.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/starts-with-a-bang-podcast-106-the-troublesome-hunt-for-planet-nine/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/581/859/800/750/237/original/4b5f184121d57482.jpg

2024-05-31 14:17:19

Why didn’t the Big Bang become a black hole?
#AskEthan
During the Big Bang and the inflationary phase preceding it, space experienced the greatest energy density of all-time.
So why didn't we become a black hole?
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/big-bang-become-black-hole/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/536/124/674/426/377/original/016e43a1227dd4af.jpg

2024-05-14 14:47:09

The unexpected connection between the northern lights and Hubble’s death
2024 has gifted us the most spectacular auroral show on Earth since 2003.
It's also been the year that Hubble's orbit has decayed more severely than any other.
They're related.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/northern-lights-hubble/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/439/984/041/982/532/original/3cbdb5eb451da934.jpg

2024-03-25 13:25:16

- reply

@npub1knz…c73p The rule is there's always at least one mistake in my articles. I'm happy this time that it could be one so small!

2024-03-22 14:34:57

Has a new study disproven dark matter and dark energy?
#AskEthan
That news study that "disproved dark matter, dark energy, and claimed the Universe is twice as old as we think?"
Come learn these invaluable lessons about how science (and scicomm) work.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/new-study-disprove-dark-matter-dark-energy/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/139/833/005/743/174/original/eb0c4d607241c781.jpg

2024-03-20 14:25:40

Flagship NASA space telescope faces a penny-pinching death
In the Presidential FY2025 budget request, Biden called for decommissioning NASA's Chandra: our flagship X-ray telescope.
The reasons given? All untrue.
So here's what we can do.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/flagship-nasa-telescope-death/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/128/472/005/522/763/original/ee5ab9df39973bfb.jpg

2024-03-13 14:23:55

The humiliating truth behind Harvard astronomer’s “alien” spherules
Three enormous oversights, all in a row, have led to the great debacle that is Avi Loeb's claim of finding meteorite fragments of extrasolar origin.
(Hint: no he didn't.)
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/truth-harvard-astronomer-alien-spherules/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/088/828/444/694/205/original/5e7b5608a357b2bf.jpg

2024-03-06 15:27:49

Why scientists think the Multiverse isn’t just fiction
The Multiverse: not just fiction, but an unavoidable consequence of our best scientific theories.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/scientists-think-multiverse-fiction/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/049/444/343/374/312/original/8af2b2a7e566a3fc.jpg

2024-02-29 15:20:21

Even outer space now succumbs to human pollution
It's been 5 years since the first Starlink satellites went up, and the night sky is already a polluted mess.
Not just for astronomers; for everyone.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/outer-space-human-pollution/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/015/443/121/886/466/original/73f89e31dd9ba504.jpg

2024-02-28 15:39:43

The 7 most bizarre facts about Leap Day
Keeping our seasons in line with our calendar is the reason for the season.
Over long periods of time, these strange Leap Day facts will play an enormous role in keeping up with Earth's changing properties.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/most-bizarre-facts-leap-day/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/112/009/854/510/850/213/original/6a108d483f004e2c.jpg

2024-02-11 21:32:55

Today, February 11th, is International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
My coauthor of "The Littlest Girl Goes Inside an Atom," the brilliant
Laura Manenti, has made the e-Book version on Amazon FREE TO DOWNLOAD today and today only to celebrate.
For all the women and girls in science!
https://amzn.eu/d/efQlxY2

2024-01-30 15:24:40

JWST reveals spiral galaxies’ life cycles, from dust to stars
Spiral galaxies have life cycles of their own, encoded in their stars, gas, and dust.
JWST just revealed more about them than we'd ever known previously, and has the images to prove it.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/jwst-spiral-galaxies-life-cycle/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/845/587/617/601/777/original/47287d412a47a762.jpg

2024-01-26 14:42:37

Why is there a grand canyon on Mars?
#AskEthan
On Earth, the Grand Canyon took millions of years to form.
The Martian grand canyon, Valles Marineris, is the Solar System's largest, and took billions of years to create.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/mars-grand-canyon/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/822/774/370/288/165/original/a1b9e3d5ba117336.jpg

2024-01-19 15:50:31

What explains the Fibonacci sequence?
#AskEthan
Galaxies and hurricanes have spiral shapes; so do many plant and animal parts.
Only some are Fibonacci spirals, and there is an explanation for the pattern, but it's root is mathematical, not physical.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/what-explains-fibonacci-sequence/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/783/404/389/652/256/original/e8c5aa5ae2675cc9.jpg

2024-01-16 15:02:44

Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life
Want to improve your life by following just a few simple rules?
Forget the modern day self-professed gurus, and try these 7 rules from the greatest genius of modern times: Albert Einstein himself.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/einstein-rules-better-life/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/766/228/915/913/972/original/ca4a33daeb340334.jpg

2024-01-15 15:35:08

7 ways the Earth has changed from ancient to modern times
From the length of a day to the amount of solar energy received, the Earth sure has changed impressively over its history.
Enjoy what we've got while we've got it!
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/earth-has-changed/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/760/694/945/548/720/original/26d19e3709594986.jpg

2024-01-08 13:03:51

How many times must you fold a paper to reach the Moon?
A single sheet of paper is incredibly thin: about 0.1 millimeters (0.004 inches) thick.
But fold it, and it doubles in thickness. Fold it again, and it doubles again.
How many folds to the Moon?
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/fold-paper-reach-moon/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/720/466/207/590/826/original/3724e38714803aaf.jpg

2023-12-05 15:31:26

“Singularities don’t exist,” claims black hole pioneer Roy Kerr
In 1963, Roy Kerr discovered the spacetime solution for a rotating black hole: with mass and spin.
60 years later, he's demolished the so-called proof that they have singularities inside them.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/singularities-dont-exist-roy-kerr/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/528/525/460/310/713/original/4e6a7fe845738879.jpg

2023-11-15 20:36:19

- reply

@npub1dgz…p74y The answer, obviously, is "no."
But it can help, and it might be the least bad option given how few and toothless any and all attempted regulations have been so far.

2023-10-12 14:42:25

How the surprising muon revolutionized particle physics
In the 1930s, known subatomic particles were the proton, neutron, electron, and photon.
Then the surprising muon came along, and nothing was ever the same again.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/surprising-muon-particle-physics/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/222/570/452/718/772/original/f527d37e7889e8df.webp

2023-10-04 19:56:50

Anyone else finding that when you google for historical events/discoveries that occurred at some point in the past, you no longer get a quasi-reliable source like Wikipedia or some university webpage, but instead get a bunch of low-quality "study sites" like Khan Academy, Chegg, or some tutorial/online school site?
IDK about you, but I hate it. The "low-quality" results are taking over.

2023-10-03 09:49:48

Warp drive’s best hope dies, as antimatter falls down
The biggest consequence of antimatter falling down, and not up, is this: our best hope for a realistic, practical warp drive has just evaporated.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/warp-drives-best-hope-dies/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/111/170/459/140/390/914/original/14b7c5b660cd2dea.jpg

2023-08-31 13:34:37

The physics of why the first clock in America failed
The first clock in the Americas was an abject failure.
Little did everyone know that gravitation was to blame.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/physics-first-clock-america-failed/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/110/984/486/824/455/949/original/2033d8daa565ec33.jpeg

2023-08-17 14:33:20

If the Hubble tension is real, what’s the solution?
The Hubble tension is all about how groups using two different methods get different rates for the expanding Universe.
What if they're both right?
Here's what a physical solution looks like.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/hubble-tension-real-solution/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/110/905/445/318/375/540/original/34c6d129e4cc4f84.jpeg

2023-06-13 16:43:58

What is the longest a star can live?
At least 20 trillion years, and perhaps up to 380 trillion years.
Compared to the age of our Universe, the longest-lived stars are just getting started.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/longest-star-live/
https://cdn.masto.host/astrodonsocial/media_attachments/files/110/537/908/214/493/839/original/df2991a51dc598be.jpeg