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PODCAST

The Supermassive Podcast

The Royal Astronomical Society

The UK"s #1 space podcast.Science journalist Izzie Clarke and astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst whizz through the universe to explore the latest research with leading experts, dive to history from the society’s archives and take on your weird and wonderful questions about all things space. Can we gravitationally hitch-hike out of the solar system? Do we live in a multiverse? What is time? Plus Dr Robert Massey is on hand with his top star-gazing tips.Want to support the show? Join The Supermassive

science astronomy

All Episodes

16:06

BONUS - Mole People on Mars

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/05/13

Should astronauts live underground on the Moon or Mars? Black hole jets, rogue planets, the big crunch (or freeze) and the Ontario question. Dr Becky, Izzie and Dr Robert Massey tackle your correspondence from the Supermassive mailbox and producer Richard makes a pronunciation intervention.The book Becky mentions is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Keep sending in your wonderful ponderings. Email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or via Instagram @SupermassivepodThe Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media

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53:54

What is Gravity?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/04/24

This episode is a weighty one.Some might say massive.It’s all about gravity. What is it? Why does it matter? Izzie and Dr Becky explore Einstein and Newton’s different ideas on the subject, plus Izzie visits the Royal Society to see Isaac Newton's original manuscript for his works on gravity and the laws of motion.Special thank you to listener Hanna_m_e for suggesting this episode topic and to Professor Tessa Baker, at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth, and

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15:01

BONUS - Can we gravitationally "hitch hike" out of...

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/04/11

What the bloomin’ hell is a Gravastar? Are fast radio bursts like solar flares on steroids? Plus an interesting question on multiverses that can't be summed up in a short sentence. Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey dive into The Supermassive Mailbox and take on your questions. Keep sending in your wonderful ponderings. Email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or via Instagram @SupermassivepodThe Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard

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52:08

Returning to the Moon - with ESA Astronaut Matthias...

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/03/31

Climb aboard The Supermassive Rocket, Izzie and Becky are (talking about) sending humans back to the moon. Joining them on their trip is European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer andJacki Mahaffey, the Chief Training Officer for NASA’s Artemis II mission. Plus,Dr Robert Massey, the Deputy Director of the Royal Astronomical Society, is there as well to answer your questions and share his top stargazing tips.For more supermassive astronaut episodes, here'sour episode with Samantha

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12:03

BONUS - Can A Star Orbit Another Star?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/03/12

If black holes are so dense, how can gamma rays jet shoot out from it? At what point in space does our sun become invisible to the naked eye?And a question about CubeSats, black holes and detecting alien civilisations... It time for Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey to take on your questions!Got a question to add to The Supermassive Mailbox? Email it to podcast@ras.ac.uk or message us on Instagram, @SupermassivePod. There's no such thing as a silly question. In fact, the sillier,

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46:40

Sample return - what could possibly go wrong?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/02/28

This time Dr Becky Smethurst and Izzie Clarke discover why it’s touch and go when it comes to returning asteroid samples to Earth and hear how we’ve been exchanging spit with Mars since the dawn of the Solar System. The team is joined by Dr Sara Russell, a meteorite researcher at the Natural History Museum in London, and Dr Albert Haldemann, Mars Chief Engineer for the European Space Agency. As ever, Dr Robert Massey is with us to answer your questions and look ahead to the next month in the night

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13:09

EMERGENCY BONUS - Asteroid 2024 YR4

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/02/19

Scientists have detected an asteroid that has a small chance of hitting Earth. Resident expert Dr Robert Massey tells Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham why we shouldn't be worried.Want to suggest a topic to the team? Contact podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on Instagram @SupermassivePod.The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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16:34

61: BONUS - Could we capture a primordial black hole?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/02/12

What are the implications on space exploration with a change of president? Did cosmic inflation come before the Big Bang? Are there sonic booms in space? Izzie, Becky and Robert take on your questions! Keep sending your questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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55:21

61: The Search for Space Aliens

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/01/29

Hosts Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst are starting 2025 with a biggie. The scientific search for extraterrestrial life: Where are scientists looking? How do they search for potential signals? And what the heck is the plan if they find one?! The Supermassive team hears from Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute about the search for life beyond Earth, and Dr John Elliot from the University of St Andrews explains what would happen if we were to detect them. Thanks for all of your brilliant

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53:30

60: Q&A - Space Potatoes and Christmas Stars

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/12/21

Our final episode of 2024 is a SUPERMASSIVE Q&A. Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey make their way through your questions. What’s the farthest star we can see with the naked eye? Why do black holes expand and shrink? And what would happen if we accelerated an uncompressed medium sized potato to 99% the speed of light? And remember, do not confuse the ISS with Santa's Sleigh in the run up to Christmas. To avoid any confusion, find out when the ISS is flying over your home

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14:11

59: BONUS - Why can't anything go faster than the...

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/12/13

From planetary alignment through the galaxy to spacetime expansion, The Supermassive Team answer your questions. Keep sending us your questions, email us on podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod

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40:41

59: The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/12/05

The Supermassive Team are investigating strange blasts of energy in space called Fast Radio Bursts. What are they and where do they come from? Dr Stuart Ryder from Macquarie University in Australia joins Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert to help explain. Christmas Present Ideas Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s talk - A Journey into The Cosmos Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at Royal Museums Greenwich Telescope SeeStar S50 Image stabilising binoculars Cosmos (book) from DK The Impossible Man by

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17:42

58: BONUS - Nuclear Pasta & G-Astronomy

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/11/19

... Potentially the silliest bonus episode we've ever recorded. The Supermassive Team takes on your questions; What are Brown Dwarfs? How can photons have different energies? Do frozen stars exist? And they get extremely distracted by the concept of nuclear pasta. Even Producer Richard gets involved. Here's the paper mentioned by listener Hanna, Thermodynamics of Frozen Stars The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

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48:10

58: Strange Stars and Bizarre Binaries

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/11/06

From pulsating stars to those with diamond cores, Izzie and Dr Becky are exploring weird and wonderful stars. What are the different types of stars in our universe? And what are the oddballs? Plus Dr Robert Massey is here for your top stargazing tips. With thanks to Professor Andrew Norton from the Open University for joining the team this episode. Keep sending your brilliant questions and photos to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media

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31:38

57: BONUS - A Bumper Edition

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/10/19

Auroras, and comets, and launches... Oh my! Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst, and Dr Robert Massey run through a MEGA month for the astronomy community. Plus, there's just enough time to squeeze in a few listener questions. Here's our recommendations on news or journals sites to keep up with all things space and science: space.com Universe Today Astronomy Now Sky at Night Sky and Telescope NASA ESA ESO The RAS Website and Journals Dr Becky's YouTube

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43:57

57: Untangling the Cosmic Web

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/10/02

Izzie and Dr Becky are untangling the cosmic web - the large scale structure of the universe - with help from Dr Chiara Mingarelli from Yale University. What the heck is it? What do we know about it? And can we use gravitational waves to "see" it? Plus, Dr Robert Massey is on hand to answer your questions. Got a question for the team? Contact us on podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on Instagram, @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production. The producers are Izzie Clarke

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15:53

56: BONUS - What distorts time?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/09/26

What happens when a black hole and gravitational wave collide? How will the moon's gravity impact tides with rising sea levels? And "the Supermassive Wise Ones" discuss Einstein vs Newton in this bonus episode. Send your questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk.

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35:25

56: We Made It To Mercury!

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/09/04

Izzie and Dr Becky complete their tour of the solar system with a trip to Mercury, the space spirograph (copyright: Dr Becky). Join them as they explore what we know about the planet so far and what ESA's current mission, BepiColombo, is hoping to find. Plus, Dr Robert Massey is on hand to answer your questions. Special thanks to guests Dr David Rothery from the Open University and Dr Simon Lindsay from the University of Leicester. Don't forget to send your questions to the team via

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13:41

56: BONUS - Galaxy Spin and Saving Herstmonceux...

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/08/21

Does an instantaneous star map exist? Where are the perfect spheres in space? How did Venus get so close to the Sun? It's a bonus episode from The Supermassive team. Sign the petition and support Herstmonceux Observatory here... https://www.change.org/p/save-the-observatory-science-centre-herstmonceux

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42:49

55: Venus aka "Earth's Evil Twin"

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2024/08/01

This is Venus’ moment in the supermassive spotlight. What do we know about this hellish planet? And what missions are going there in the near future? Izzie and Dr Becky speak with Dr Phillipa Mason from Imperial College London about EnVision, an upcoming mission to Venus, as well as RAS librarian Sian Prosser to explore the archive. Plus Dr Robert Massey is here to take on your questions. The paper about the sounds on Venus can be found here. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media

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111 results

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