The Supermassive Podcast

The Supermassive Podcast

This is The Supermassive Podcast from the Royal Astronomical Society. Every month, science journalist Izzie Clarke and astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst take you through the universe with the latest research, history from the society’s archives and astronomy you can do from your own home. Support the team by buying their book, The Year in Space. You can send your questions to the team via podcast@ras.ac.uk or follow them on Instagram @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

BONUS - Can A Star Orbit Another Star?

March 11, 2025 • 12 mins

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, @Su...

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Sample Return Missions - What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

February 27, 2025 • 46 mins

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...

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EMERGENCY BONUS - Asteroid 2024 YR4

February 18, 2025 • 13 mins

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


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BONUS - Could we capture a primordial black hole?

February 11, 2025 • 16 mins
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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The Search for Space Aliens

January 28, 2025 • 55 mins
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...

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Q&A - Space Potatoes and Christmas Stars

December 20, 2024 • 53 mins
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 C...

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BONUS - Why can't anything go faster than the speed of light?

December 12, 2024 • 14 mins
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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts

December 4, 2024 • 40 mins
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 SeeS...

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BONUS - Nuclear Pasta & G-Astronomy

November 18, 2024 • 17 mins
... 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 Bof...

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Strange Stars and Bizarre Binaries

November 5, 2024 • 48 mins
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.u...

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BONUS - A Bumper Edition

October 18, 2024 • 31 mins
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...

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Untangling the Cosmic Web

October 1, 2024 • 43 mins
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 Sup...

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BONUS - What distorts time?

September 25, 2024 • 15 mins
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. 



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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We Made It To Mercury!

September 3, 2024 • 35 mins
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 Le...

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BONUS - Galaxy Spin and Saving Herstmonceux Observatory

August 20, 2024 • 13 mins
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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Venus aka "Earth's Evil Twin"

July 31, 2024 • 42 mins
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...

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BONUS - Overmassive Galaxies

July 19, 2024 • 22 mins
The Supermassive Overmassive Podcast has a special bonus episode. Join Izzie, Dr Becky, Dr Robert and Richard as they discuss the last two years of JWST and share their recommendations for Space Book Club. 

Recommendations:
  • Unseen Universe: New Secrets of the Cosmos Revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope by Dr Caroline Harper 
  • The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green
  • When Galaxies Were Born - Richard Elli...

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Q&A - Black Hole Special

July 3, 2024 • 50 mins
Have black holes existed since the beginning of the Universe? Could we produce a black hole in the lab? Could we use gravitational waves to probe beyond the event horizon? 

It's a black hole Q&A as Izzie put your questions to Becky and Robert. Plus, author and broadcaster, Marcus Chown, runs through a potted history of discovering black holes. His latest book on the same topic, A Crack In Everything, is out now: https://...

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BONUS - Lumpy Space Potatoes

June 21, 2024 • 14 mins
In this month's bonus episode Izzie, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey tackle questions on pulsars, woo woo sounds from black holes, imperfect spheres and alien aurorae. Send your questions to: podcast@ras.ac.uk, and we’re also on instagram @SupermassivePod. 

The Supermassive podcast is produced by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham and is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society.


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The Major Lunar Standstill

June 3, 2024 • 47 mins
Every 18.6 years, our moon reaches its farthest northern and southern point, known as a major lunar standstill. This month, Izzie and Dr Becky are exploring why this might be significant to Stonehenge in the UK and another historical site in the US called Chimney Rock. With special thanks to Dr Heather Sebire, Dr Amanda Chadburn and Dr Erica Ellingson.

The southernmost Moonrise at Stonehenge will be livestreamed, allowing vi...

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