Star birth doesn't come from ignition, but from equilibrium Although a star's "birth" is well-defined, it doesn't correspond to an ignition event in its core. Here's how stars are actually born.

Star birth doesn’t come from ignition, but from equilibrium

In astronomy, "a star is born" happens when nuclear fusion ignites in its core, according to the internet.

That's not the scientific standard, though: equilibrium is.

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#space #astro #stars #astronomy

Ask Ethan: How long does it take planets to form? Every time a new star forms, there's an opportunity to form planets alongside and around it. How does it happen, and how long does it take?

Ask Ethan: How long does it take planets to form?

Just 35 years ago, we knew so little about how planets formed, or how long the process took.

Here in 2026, we now have a complete end-to-end story: validated by actual data.
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#space #astro #planets

This is good advice, and it "translates" into reading in foreign languages, too!

Curious how many thought they could name a bunch but then they "lost the game" because they named a reptile that lived alongside dinosaurs instead?

Looking at you, pterodactyl lovers.

I first recognized how bad "going faster" was for me when I read a Robert Browning poem at about age 19.

I read it in like 2 minutes, at first.

Then I tried to think about what I'd read, and I felt "blank" on the inside.

So I read it again, but slowly.

25 minutes later, I felt I'd gotten it.

Long ago, people were telling me I should learn how to speed read.

Why?

When I read, I choose the pace I go at. I could go faster, but then my brain wouldn't marinate in the thoughts I get to have while I read at the pace that's right for me.

The more thinking you outsource, the less you gain.

Can you explain the strong nuclear force without colors? "Color" with respect to the strong force is just an analogy. Here's how to understand it without colors, group theory, or any advanced math.

Can you explain the strong nuclear force without colors?

The idea of a "color charge" confuses a lot of people, and the analogy certainly has its flaws.

Here's how to understand the strong force without colors, and without group theory, too.
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#physics #proton #quark

This viral image of Saturn isn't real; it's AI slop From 2004 through 2017, Saturn was imaged many times and from many angles up close by Cassini. This new viral image isn't real; it's AI.

This viral image of Saturn isn’t real; it’s AI slop

A new image of "Saturn's North Pole" has gone viral.

Too bad it's an AI fake.

Here's what the real things look like, and how you can tell for yourself.
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#space #astro #Saturn #notCassini

Everything in the Universe changes by adding enough mass One parameter, alone, sets the dividing line between rocky planets, gas giants, brown dwarfs, stars, and much more. Here's why mass matters.

Everything in the Universe changes by adding enough mass

What sets the dividing line between rocky planets, gas giants, brown dwarfs, and stars of different colors and lifetimes?

One parameter alone, mass, explains almost all of it.
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#physics #astro #space

Yeah I've been a fan of Andrew's since my grad school days.

Even though we've never met in person, on a professional level, I still am one.

Deep cut. Yes it is.

My desk is full of excellent, partially-read books!

Ethan Siegel | Exchange w/ Erik Mora #57 YouTube video by Erik Mora

I went on a podcast.

The host was excited for AI, data centers in space, and satellite infrastructure.

I was not necessarily the guest he wanted. But I just might have been the guest he needed.

What do you think?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=80iK...

"One bad measurement" ruled out as Hubble tension explanation The distance ladder and the CMB give incompatible values for the expansion rate. A new study shows just how robust the Hubble tension is.

“One bad measurement” ruled out as Hubble tension explanation

When thinking about the Hubble tension, many fault "one bad measurement," somewhere, as the ultimate culprit.

Astronomers just showed this cannot be the case.
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#space #astro #physics #cosmology

You will never have a productive conversation with grifting liars.

Unless 100% of the time, a moderator is calling them out and fact-checking them on their lies and grift, this is nothing but spreading propaganda.

Starts With A Bang #128 - Planet formation and proto-protoplanets By looking at a giant, remarkable, edge-on protoplanetary system, astronomers have found a proto-protoplanet for the first time.

Starts With A Bang #128 – Planet formation and proto-protoplanets

You've heard of planets, exoplanets, and protoplanets.

Now, for the first time, we've discovered something more primitive than any of them: a proto-protoplanet.

Here's what it means.
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#space #astro

No problem the piece is wonderful and so are you!

Earth’s orbit is getting crowded. Here’s how we avoid a disaster. We’ve populated low-Earth orbit with satellites in record time — now we have to figure out how to keep it safe.

Icymi:

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Answers that are completely wrong 9-10% of the time, according to a recent independent study.

(Google disputes it, but of course they do. What are they gonna do, bring back search and drive traffic elsewhere, instead of pushing AI slop?)

Ask Ethan: How did Artemis II break Apollo's distance record? Human beings have now traveled farther from Earth than ever before with Artemis II's flyby of the lunar far side. Here's how it happened.

How did Artemis II break Apollo’s distance record?

If you ask google how Artemis II broke Apollo 13's distance record, it'll lie and say "because the rocket was more powerful."

But these three reasons, combined, are how it really happened.
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#space #astro #artemis

Cosmic inflation explains the Universe’s low entropy at birth

The "past hypothesis" problem questions why, if entropy always increases, the hot Big Bang began with such a low amount of it.

That's another puzzle solved by cosmic inflation.
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#astro #physics #space

To alien eyes, Earth looks deceptively peaceful As the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war, distant, advanced civilizations would never know it. Earth appears peaceful from far away.

To alien eyes, Earth looks deceptively peaceful

To someone looking at us from afar, all signals of whatever we've done recently on Earth will not yet have arrived.

Lucky them.
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#space #astro #peace #earth #aliens

Astronomers just found the most pristine star of all-time The 1st generation of stars formed, lived, and died very early on. But 2nd generation stars could still persist today. Did we just find one?

Astronomers just found the most pristine star of all-time

The most pristine star of all-time has been found: J0715-7334, with just 0.005% of the heavy element content of the Sun.

Here's what it teaches us about how stars grow up.
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#astronomy #space #physics #cosmology

If you can stop before second paper is due, "your friend" is gonna be okay.

Classics major in college.

If it's Latin, it's Or-i-en-ta-le, like you think.

If we've decided to Americanize it, then put the NASA pronunciation up there with "nuke-you-lerr" in the facepalm hall of fame.

Something special is happening in space right now As humanity journeys to the Moon for the first time since 1972, can we rediscover our shared responsibilities: to the world and each other?

Something special is happening in space right now

As Artemis II astronauts reach the Moon for the first time in 54 years, it gives humanity something we've been missing for decades: hope that we can become something great.
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#space #artemis #NASA #astro

Ask Ethan: Do gravitational waves redshift like light does? As light travels across the Universe, it's subject to cosmic expansion, changing fields, and relative motion. How about gravitational waves?

Ask Ethan: Do gravitational waves redshift like light does?

Light redshifts as it travels through the expanding Universe, and is affected by a host of other phenomena.

But not everything is the same for gravitational waves.

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#space #astro #cosmology

There are four main fields to astronomy research:

-observation,
-theory,
-instrumentation,
-and computational.

As far as my experience goes, there are many excellent specialists in instrumentation who know almost no computer programming at all. (Not all, or even most, of them!)

So it's possible.

The 4 ways science confirms the Moon landings were real Even though no human has stepped foot on the Moon's surface in 50 years, the evidence of our presence there remains unambiguous.

The 4 ways science confirms the Moon landings were real

As NASA's Artemis II basks in the success of its launch, and astronauts head back to the Moon for the first time in 50+ years, the Moon landing deniers are back.

Fight them with facts!

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#moon #space #astro

The flimsy case for evolving dark energy Is dark energy evolving with at least 99.99% confidence? Despite the quality of recent data, scientists have every reason to be skeptical.

The flimsy case for evolving dark energy

There's been a lot of talk about evolving dark energy, and how DESI data demands it.

But the case for this remains somewhat weak, while the true underlying puzzles remain unsolved.
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#physics #astro #space #darkenergy