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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:

Into The Interstellar Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

Izzie and Dr Becky are venturing into interstellar space. What is it? Where is it? And what do we know about it?
With special thanks to Professor Martin Barstow from University of Leicester and Professor Chris Lintott from the University of Oxford. Chris' new book "Our Accidental Universe" is out now.
Check out the RAS's video on Pons Brooks here: https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/12ppons-brooks-how-and-when-see-devil-comet
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 - Dust, stars and alien streetlights Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

What is cosmic dust? Could we reignite a dying Sun with a nuclear weapon? How do we know what galaxies stars are in, and can the JWST see streetlights on alien worlds?
If you have a question for the Supermassive team, send them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us 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.

Quakes in Space Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

Izzie and Dr Becky are exploring shaky ground, whether that’s on Earth, other planets and even on our neighbour the Moon. This month is all about quakes.
With special thanks to Mark Panning, the project scientist for NASA's InSight mission, and Dr Jess Johnson from the University of East Anglia.
Join Izzie and the UK Space Education Office for Mars Day on Tuesday 5th March, sign up to the virtual event here.
Explore the North Tyneside Solar Trail and discover models representing planets from our solar system, 16 & 17 March 2024
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 - Double Yolker Galaxies Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

Do we see black hole mergers as a result of galaxy mergers? What did the night sky look like to the dinosaurs? Is a gas giant just a rocky planet with a huge and dense atmosphere? Do all orbits eventually end up in resonance?
The Supermassive Team is back with the first bonus episode for 2024! Send in your questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us 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.

The End of the World Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

The Supermassive Podcast is back for 2024 and putting the "happy" in Happy New Year! What could be a cheerier start to the year than an episode about the End of the World… Astronomically speaking!?
From supernova explosions, to super volcanoes, Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey are running through the checklist of big bad things that put our planet at risk. Special thanks goes to Professor Chris Impey from the University of Arizona and author of How It Ends, and Dr Mike Cassidy from the University of Birmingham.

Things we promised we'd put in the show notes:
NASA worksheet - https://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/earth/10Page5.pdf
Recent Betelgeuse paper - Saio et al. (2023; Betelgeuse in carbon fusion stage) - https://arxiv.org/pdf/2306.00287.pdf
Don't forget to leave us a review, send in your questions ,or share your astrophotography using podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us 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.

Do We Live In A Multiverse? Dec 22, 2023

Show notes

Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst are rounding off 2023 with a biggie. Arguably the biggest of them all. This episode is ALL about the Multiverse. What is it? What does it mean? Does it even exist?
A big thank you to Andrew Pontzen from UCL and author of "Universe in a Box" for explaining the basics, Katie Mack from The Perimeter Institute for going from physicist to film reviewer, and to listener Wendy Entwistle who suggested the Supermassive team cover this topic.
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 - Could Space Junk Block JWST's View? Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

From barbie dolls, to birds baths, what will happen to all the stuff we have made between now and the end of time? Could a large black hole spaghettify a small black hole? Could more satellites block JWST's view? And what came first, the Big Bang or Inflation?
It's time for another deep dive into The Supermassive Mailbox with Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey.
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.

Neptune... At Last! Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

They've done it. It has taken them all year but Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst have reached the final planet in our solar system; Neptune.
Dr Leigh Fletcher from the University of Leicester is back to cover the basics of the planet and Carolyn Kennett, Chair of the Society for the History of Astronomy, tells Izzie about its controversial discovery. Plus, Dr Robert Massey is on hand for some winter stargazing.

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

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

BONUS - Space News Bulletin Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

Bizarre free-floating planets in space, the retrieval mission from a 4.6 billion year old asteroid, and the first images from our dark universe. Join Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst, and Dr Robert Massey as they take you through the latest space news.
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. Follow or subscribe for free so you never miss an episode.

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

Q&A - Spice Girls, Black Holes, and Ice-Cream in Space Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

It's been a while, so Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert dive into The Supermassive Mailbox for a Q&A Special. How is the mass of a star determined? Does JWST have fuel to come back? And is it possible for Voyager 1 or 2 to switch their cameras back on?
Here's the link for space-related jobs that Becky mentioned: https://jobregister.aas.org/
Got a question for the team? Email it to podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us 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.

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