Ethan Siegel
Astrophysicist, author, and the voice behind Starts With A Bang!, sharing what we know about the Universe through articles, books, and conversations with scientists.
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Latest
Ethan’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- Work
- Astrophysicist, science writer, author, and podcast host
- Training
- Physics Ph.D., University of Florida, 2006
- Started
- Founded Starts With A Bang! in 2008
- Early recognition
- 2010 physics.org best blog and people’s choice awards
Mini bio
How it started.
Ethan trained in theoretical astrophysics and earned his physics Ph.D. at the University of Florida in 2006. He founded Starts With A Bang! in 2008 while a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, bringing together his interests in science, teaching, and outreach.
Finding his audience.
The blog moved to ScienceBlogs in 2009 and won both the judges’ prize and the people’s choice award in the 2010 physics.org competition. His reader-led Ask Ethan articles became a regular way to explore difficult questions about the cosmos.
Making it his work.
After teaching at the University of Portland and Lewis & Clark College, Ethan focused on science communication full-time in 2015. Starts With A Bang! reached readers through Medium and Forbes before joining Big Think in 2021. His podcast brings astronomers and physicists into long conversations with curious listeners.
On the bookshelf.
His books range from the history of our understanding of the cosmos in Beyond the Galaxy to the real science behind Star Trek technology in Treknology. More recently, Infinite Cosmos explored the James Webb Space Telescope, and The Grand Cosmic Story turned cosmic history into an illustrated timeline.
Creditschronological, newest first
- 2025The Grand Cosmic StoryCoauthor with Mark A. Garlick, Jon Lomberg, and William Lidwell
- 2024Infinite Cosmos: Visions From the James Webb Space TelescopeAuthor; introduction by Brian Greene
- 2017Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp DriveAuthor
- 2015Beyond the GalaxyAuthor
Awards
Quotes
My name’s Ethan, and I love the Universe.Ethan Siegel, Starts With A Bang! on ScienceBlogs
He opened a January 2010 introduction for new readers by explaining his curiosity about the cosmos.
Trivia
- He is a longtime Star Trek fan, an interest that also became the subject of Treknology.
- His official website has a gallery devoted to his costumes.
- He previously wrote a column for NASA’s The Space Place.
Find Ethan
Follow Ethan’s cosmic stories, reader questions, and conversations with scientists.
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National Geographic
National Geographic