Ethan Siegel

Does Earth Orbit The Sun More Slowly With Each New Year? https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/12/04/ask-ethan-does-earth-orbit-the-sun-more-slowly-with-each-new-year/ … #AskEthan Over the course of our Solar System's history, Earth has slowed in its orbit by about 22 miles-per-hour. Here's why.

Should You Explain To An Expert Why Their Professional Opinion Is Wrong? https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/12/03/should-you-explain-to-an-expert-why-their-professional-opinion-is-wrong/ … Thinking about writing to an expert to explain their field to them? Maybe ask yourself a few key questions, first. There's a handy flowchart if you need one in there, too.

Could Dark Energy Wind Up Destroying The Universe? https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/12/02/could-dark-energy-wind-up-destroying-the-universe/ … If it's truly a cosmological constant, we'll coast into an ever-expanding abyss of oblivion. But if it's anything else, the possibilities are wide open.

The First Galaxy Without Dark Matter Is About To Be Torn Apart https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/12/01/galaxies-without-dark-matter-really-do-exist-new-study-shows-exactly-how/ … Remember that tiny, diffuse, dwarf galaxy with no dark matter in it? @mireiamontesq has solved the puzzle: it's in the process of being torn apart, and the stars are the last thing left.

How To Witness Astronomy’s Once-In-A-Lifetime Planetary Alignment On December 21 https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/11/30/witness-astronomys-once-in-a-lifetime-planetary-alignment-on-december-21/ … Start looking for Jupiter and Saturn on clear nights now. Give any telescopes/binoculars early for the holidays this year. Here's how to make the most of it, worldwide.

I'm curious about your experience reading my articles this month. If you're a reader of Starts With A Bang!, have you been reading me:

How did the entire Universe come from nothing? https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/11/27/ask-ethan-how-did-the-entire-universe-come-from-nothing/ … #AskEthan There are many key points, depending on what you mean by "nothing." Here's the limits of what we know and what we don't.

The Physics Of Why You Must Never Deep Fry A Frozen Turkey https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/11/26/the-physics-of-why-you-must-never-deep-fry-a-frozen-turkey/ … You know who you are. Be smart, be safe, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

We Have No Idea What Makes A Planet ‘Potentially Habitable’ https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/11/25/we-have-no-idea-what-makes-a-planet-potentially-habitable/ … Without the necessary evidence (which we don't have yet), we have no idea whether our assumptions about what makes a planet "potentially habitable" have any validity or not.