The Supermassive Podcast

By The Royal Astronomical Society

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 lates

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FAQs about The Supermassive Podcast:

How many episodes does The Supermassive Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 88 episodes available.

The Supermassive Podcast episodes:

March 31, 2025 Returning to the Moon - with ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer
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 and Jacki 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's our episode with Samantha Cristoforetti and another with Gene Cernan.

Keep sending your questions to The Supermassive Podcast at [email protected] or find us on Instagram, @Supermassive Pod.

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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53min
March 12, 2025 BONUS - Can A Star Orbit Another Star?
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 [email protected] or message us on Instagram, @SupermassivePod. There's no such thing as a silly question. In fact, the sillier, the better!

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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13min
February 28, 2025 Sample Return Missions - What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
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 sky.

Keep you questions coming…you can email [email protected] 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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47min
February 19, 2025 EMERGENCY BONUS - Asteroid 2024 YR4
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 [email protected] 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.
...more
14min
February 12, 2025 BONUS - Could we capture a primordial black hole?
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 [email protected] or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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17min
January 29, 2025 The Search for Space Aliens
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 [email protected] 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.
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56min
December 21, 2024 Q&A - Space Potatoes and Christmas Stars
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 [email protected] 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.
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54min
December 13, 2024 BONUS - Why can't anything go faster than the speed of light?
From planetary alignment through the galaxy to spacetime expansion, The Supermassive Team answer your questions.

Keep sending us your questions, email us on [email protected] or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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15min
December 05, 2024The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts
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 [email protected] 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.
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41min
November 19, 2024 BONUS - Nuclear Pasta & G-Astronomy
... 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.
...more
18min

FAQs about The Supermassive Podcast:

How many episodes does The Supermassive Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 88 episodes available.

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