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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

26:09

More space vampires and tea in orbit

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/09/21

The bonus Q and A that tackles some of the biggest questions in cosmology including: How many space vampires would you need to explain dark matter? and can you make a decent cup of tea on a space station? Dr Becky, Izzie and producer Richard also tackle questions on neutrinos, Lagrange points and black hole stars. Becky’s cake recipe in strange science units is here.For ad-free listening, joinThe Supermassive Clubon Supporting Cast. Every paying member helps keep the show running, so thank you!Send

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46:10

The Kuiper Belt...Revisited

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/09/03

Yes, it’s a welcome return for the giant doughnut at the edge of the solar system filled with lumpy space potatoes. Dr Becky and Izzie are joined by Meg Schwamb from Queen’s University to discuss all things Kuiper Belt, the New Horizons mission, Rubin telescope and mysterious planet 9.For ad-free listening, joinThe Supermassive Clubon Supporting Cast. Every paying member helps keep the show running, so thank you!Send us your astronomy attempts, questions (and nonsense!) topodcast@ras.ac.uk, on

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28:44

Colanders and is space a stew?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/08/20

How many colanders can you fit in a field? In, yet another, bonus episode Izzie Clarke,@DrBeckyand producer Richard Hollingham share their experiences of the eclipse. Plus is space a stew? Pocket universes, and how fit do you have to be to be an astronaut?For ad-free listening, join The Supermassive Club on Supporting Cast. Every paying member helps keep the show running, so thank you!Here is the visualisation of space that Becky mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrwgIjBUYVcSend us your

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25:03

Top Tips To See The Eclipse

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/08/07

There's an eclipse on Wednesday 12th August 2026. So where can you see it? And how do you do that safely? Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey from have it covered. Plus, The Supermassive Book Club makes a return for your summer reading. We're (finally) on Youtube, watch us here. For ad-free listening, join The Supermassive Club on Supporting Cast. Every paying member helps to keep the show running, so thank you!Send us your eclipse photos, questions (and nonsense!) to

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49:38

Q&A: Could Dark Matter Be Space Vampires?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/07/24

It's Q&A time! Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and the Royal Astronomical Society's Dr Robert Massey dive into The Supermassive Mailbox to answer your brilliant and ridiculous questions.🌑 Do meteors hit the Moon during showers?⏳ Could black holes create different 'eras' of time?☄️ Where did the Kuiper belt come from?🧛‍♂️ If space telescopes use mirrors and vampires don't have a reflection, could dark matter actually be space vampires?Want more of The Supermassive Podcast? Here are the

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19:42

Can Time Travel be sped up? What is the Bootes Void?...

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/07/10

What is the Bootes Void? Why do we only see one side of the Moon? Can time travel be sped up? And what's the smallest amount of visible space debris? The Supermassive Podcast team answer your questions... And work on their Australian accents!?For the first time ever, you can now watch this episode on YouTube.For ad-free listening, join The Supermassive Club. Every member helps keep the show running, so thank you!Send us your astronomy attempts, questions (and nonsense!) to podcast@ras.ac.uk, on

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54:52

What the heck are neutrinos?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/06/23

Is this the toughest subject we’ve ever tackled? Izzie certainly thinks so and it’s even making Dr Becky and Dr Robert's brains hurt. Helping them to make sense of these ‘weird and interesting’ particles are Dr Kirsty Duffy at the University of Oxford andDirector of the Paris Astrophysics Institute, ProfessorKumiko Kotera.For ad-free listening and to view Izzie's trajectory to becoming a better astronomer, joinThe Supermassive Club. Every member helps keep the show running, so thank you!Send us your

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18:34

Why Is There Motion in the Universe?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/06/12

What happens if two diamond core stars collide? Will the Moon drift away from Earth? Why is there motion in the universe? And why we need a space AND time machine. Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert dive into The Supermassive Mailbox to answer your questions. For ad-free listening and to view Izzie's trajectory to becoming a better astronomer, join The Supermassive Club. Every member helps keep the show running, so thank you! Send us your astronomy attempts, questions (and nonsense!) to podcast@ras.ac.uk,

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1:03:49

How Do Space Telescope Work?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/05/28

Nancy Grace Roman. Ariel. The next generation of space telescopes are here.Astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst and science journalist Izzie Clarke explore how they work, what they can tell us and why they might unravel our current understanding of the universe. Plus Dr Robert has your stargazing tips for June. Thank you to Dr Tom Barclay from NASA's Roman telescope and Dr Chris Pearson from RAL Space. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard

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19:24

Did Gravity Wipe Out The Dinosaurs?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/05/13

How do we calculate a black hole's event horizon? Does Mercury's tail impact Earth? Can we name a planet Rupert? And did gravity wipe out the dinosaurs? Izzie Clarke & Dr Becky Smethurst dive into the rather whimsical Supermassive Mailbox to answer your questions.Want to name an Exoworld? Here's the IAU website to start a campaign: https://nameexoworlds.iau.org/Send your questions, whimsical messages and your night sky photos to podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on Instagram @SupermassivePod. Or why

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49:01

Into the Space Debris Swamp

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/04/30

Izzie & Dr Becky think that space needs a spring clean, so this episode is all about space debris. What is it? How big of a problem is it? And what is being done to remove it?With thanks to PhD student Megan Perks from the University of Southampton, who studies how safe all these new satellite constellations are, and photographer Max Alexander, who has created an exhibition all about space debris. It’s calledOur Fragile Spaceand it’s on for free outside of the Royal Astronomical Society until

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33:07

Our Artemis II Debrief

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/04/15

What. A. Mission. The Supermassive Team are in AWE of the Artemis II Crew and the people that helped them to loop around the Moon. From scientific aims to societal impact, Izzie Clarke, Richard Hollingham and Dr Robert Massey reflect on this latest step to returning to the Moon and their experiences of watching it unfold. Richard was at the launch, Robert is pen pals with Reid Wiseman, and Izzie... is extremely jealous of them both!JoinThe Supermassive Clubfor ad-free listening, forum access, and

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47:20

When Space Goes Rogue....

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/04/01

The Supermassive Team are going rogue (more so that usual!) This time, it’s all about the non-conforming objects in space. Black holes, planets and the other rogue objects Izzie and Dr Becky can think of... Plus, Dr Robert Massey takes on your questions and shares his stargazing tips for April. A big thank you to Gavin Coleman from Queen Mary's University, and Astronomy Now magazine editor and owner, Stuart Clark. For more accessible astronomy, the recommend you read their brilliant articles on

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38:27

Black holes in the lab and meeting Ryan Gosling

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/03/18

It’s a massive bonus episode this month with both listener questions and an extended interview with the producer/directors of the new Ryan Gosling film: Project Hail Mary.Dr Becky and Dr Robert are joined by editor Richard to tackle questions on creating a black hole in the lab, how long a planet lasts and the size of the biggest black hole. Guest reporter, Sue Nelson, chats to Phil Lord and Chris Miller about Project Hail Mary and Becky reveals what she chatted about with Ryan Gosling. Join The

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1:05:11

What is the Hubble Tension?

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/02/26

There's a crisis in cosmology when it comes to understanding a little thing like the acceleration of our universe, aka The Hubble Tension. And in this episode, Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst are digging into what this is and (trying to) explain the science behind it. A huge thank you to our guests, (Nobel Prize winning-) Professor Adam Riess from John Hopkins University and Professor Silvia Galli from Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris. JoinThe Supermassive Clubfor ad-free listening, forum

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26:24

2026: The year in space... And at sea?!

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/02/11

What are the biggest space missions of 2026? And what are the best stargazing opportunities this year? The Supermassive Team - Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst, Dr Robert Massey and Richard Hollingham - share their astronomical excitement for the year ahead and ponder if they should charter a boat for the August eclipse.Thank you to listeners Anne Edgeworth and Karolina who inspired this episode.To support the show, joinThe Supermassive Clubfor ad-free listening, forum access, and extra content from

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51:44

Q&A: Meteors, Artemis II, and Space Bathtubs

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2026/01/29

The Supermassive Podcast is back for 2026, and we've got a MEGA Q&A.What happenswhen two nebulae collide?Where did Neptune and Uranus form?What’s the procedure for a medical emergency on the ISS? And more. Plus, Izzie, Dr Becky, Robert and Richard cover everything you need to know ahead of the launch of Artemis II.And here are the links to things we promised you in this episode...Our episode"How to Time Travel"Our episode"Do We Live in a Multiverse?"Richard's brilliantSpace BoffinspodcastJoinThe

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54:49

How to Time Travel

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/12/23

Fire up your flux capacitor and dematerialise your Tardis because The Supermassive Podcast is traveling in time.Is it possible? How does it work? And, crucially, which films got the physics right (or wrong!)?Thank you to Dr Emma Osborne from the University of York, and Dr Alfredo Carpinetti from IFLScience for their help on this episode. Alfredo's upcoming book,Invisible Rainbows, will be available for pre-order soon.Here's theTime Travel in Fiction Rundown from Minute PhysicsJoinThe Supermassive

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24:16

BONUS - Slingshots, Christmas Presents & Alien...

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/12/15

What would it be like to feel gravitational waves? How are satellites protected from extreme solar storms? How do gravity slingshots work? Are aliens potentially communicating outside of the electromagnetic spectrum? Plus Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert share their annual Christmas present recommendations.Keep sending your questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk, Instagram @SupermassivePod or members can post on The Supermassive Club's forum. JoinThe Supermassive Clubfor ad-free listening, forum access, and extra

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49:58

Protecting Our Dark Skies

The Supermassive Podcast ·

2025/12/01

What are the threats to our dark night skies? And what needs to be done to protect them? Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert explore this important topic and head outside (...and the weather was noton their side!)Thankyou to Dr Samantha Lawlerat the University of Regina in Saskatchewan andAndy Lawrence, the Regis professor of astronomy at the University of Edinburgh.Don't forget to joinThe Supermassive Clubfor ad-free listening, forum access, and extra content from the team.The Supermassive Podcast is a

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123 results

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