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The Supermassive Podcast — Astronomy
The Supermassive Podcast

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 Club for exclusive content, star-gazing forums and ad-free listening… supermassive.supportingcast.fm

And keep adding to The Supermassive Mailbox with your pictures and questions for the team. Send them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or follow them on Instagram, @SupermassivePod.

The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

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

Copyright: © The Royal Astronomical Society

Latest Episodes:

BONUS - Could we capture a primordial black hole? Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

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.

The Search for Space Aliens Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

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 questions - keep them coming! You can email podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on instagram, @SupermassivePod.
And, as promised, here's more information on National Astronomy Week 2025, running from 1st-9th February: https://astronomyweek.org.uk
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.

Q&A - Space Potatoes and Christmas Stars Dec 21, 2024

Show notes

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 using https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/home.cfm
If you have any questions for a future episode, email podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod. And thank you to anyone who has listened or reviewed the podcast this year, we really appreciate it.
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.

BONUS - Why can't anything go faster than the speed of light? Dec 13, 2024

Show notes

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.

The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts Dec 05, 2024

Show notes

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 Patchen Barrs.
The Little Book of Cosmic Catastrophes by Sarah Webb
The Night Sky Almanac for 2025 by Radmila Topalovic, Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion

Keep sending your brilliant questions and photos to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod.
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham

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

BONUS - Nuclear Pasta & G-Astronomy Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

... 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.

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

Strange Stars and Bizarre Binaries Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

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 production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham

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

BONUS - A Bumper Edition Oct 19, 2024

Show notes

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 channel
Astrobites.org
TheConversation.com
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.

Untangling the Cosmic Web Oct 02, 2024

Show notes

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 and Richard Hollingham.

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

BONUS - What distorts time? Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

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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