The Grand Cosmic Story
This month's meeting features our favorite local theoretical cosmologist and science writer Ethan Siegel. In previous talks, Ethan has shared insights on a wide variety topics -- deep insights into the evolution of the cosmos, explorations of the technology of Star Trek, compelling stories behind the Curiosity rover and its instruments, and amazing discoveries made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Ethan will be returning to talk about his latest book "The Grand Cosmic Story." Ethan's books are always extremely well-written and lavishly illustrated. As part of his visit, we'll be selling copies of his book at a generous discount and Ethan will be available to sign them. Note that it will only be possible to purchase a book if you attend in person. Please see below for his description of his presentation.
Ethan's talks have been very popular. To accommodate a larger audience, we will be holding our meeting in the largest venue at OMSI -- the Empirical Theater. Since this is a special event on the opposite side of the museum from our usual activities, nearly all club services will be closed. The only exception is the Telescope Library, which will be open in the Planetarium lobby for returning telescopes only.
One of the great achievements of modern science is figuring out when and where, in the grand scheme of the cosmos, we actually are. But an even more ambitious question to attempt to answer is, "How did we get here?" It took 13.8 billion years of cosmic evolution, since the start of the hot Big Bang, for humans to arise here, on planet Earth. Throughout that time, a whole slew of events needed to unfold: life needed to survive and thrive on our world, the planet and Solar System and Sun needed to form with the right conditions, many generations of stars and galaxies needed to live and die to create those conditions, and much, much more. From beyond the Big Bang to today and into the future, find out science's best answers to the question of "How did we get here?" as we explore the fascinating Grand Cosmic Story that unites us all!
About Ethan Siegel
Ethan Siegel was born in New York, graduated college from Northwestern, and obtained his PhD in theoretical astrophysics from the University of Florida in 2006. In 2008, he moved to the Pacific Northwest, where he swiftly became Portland's favorite astrophysicist: at the University of Portland, at Lewis & Clark College, on KGW, and right here at OMSI as well. His award-winning blog, Starts With A Bang, boasts over 4000 articles and is currently hosted at Big Think. As a science communicator, he has created articles, podcasts, videos, and books, and loves to give public talks to all who are interested and curious. His 6th and latest book, The Grand Cosmic Story, was just published here in 2025 by National Geographic, and will be available for purchase and signature at this event.