The Supermassive Podcast

The Royal Astronomical Society
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  • ASTRONOMY
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS
The Supermassive Podcast

The UK's #1 space podcast. Every month, 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. Keep adding to The Supermassive Mailbox with your pictures and questions for the team. Send them to [email protected] or follow them on Instagram @SupermassivePod. You can also support the team by buying their book, The Year in Space. 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.

  1. 6 HR AGO

    Is Time Real?

    Start your stopwatches, set your timers, turn back your clocks because Izzie and Dr Becky are talking time. What is it? How, and why, do we measure it? And is time real or a human construct?! Izzie speaks with Anne Curtis at the National Physical Laboratory who works on one of the world’s most accurate clocks, and editor Richard has been to the very heart of time itself in Greenwich with Finn Burridge at the Royal Observatory. The Supermassive Club is finally here. Join to support the show and for ad-free listening: https://supermassive.supportingcast.fm/ 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.

    57 min

  2. 13 MAY · BONUS

    BONUS - Mole People on Mars

    Should astronauts live underground on the Moon or Mars? Black hole jets, rogue planets, the big crunch (or freeze) and the Ontario question. Dr Becky, Izzie and Dr Robert Massey tackle your correspondence from the Supermassive mailbox and producer Richard makes a pronunciation intervention. The book Becky mentions is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Keep sending in your wonderful ponderings. Email them to [email protected] or via 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.

    16 min

  3. 24 APR

    What is Gravity?

    This episode is a weighty one. Some might say massive. It’s all about gravity. What is it? Why does it matter? Izzie and Dr Becky explore Einstein and Newton’s different ideas on the subject, plus Izzie visits the Royal Society to see Isaac Newton's original manuscript for his works on gravity and the laws of motion. Special thank you to listener Hanna_m_e for suggesting this episode topic and to Professor Tessa Baker, at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth, and to Keith Moore, head of collections at the Royal Society for appearing on the show. See THAT coffee table here: https://youtu.be/5XlTkGEO564?si=9Z8KwTqOPk-Sf0xM If you have a question for the team, or an episode suggestion, send them to [email protected] or find us on Instagram, @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min

  4. 11 APR · BONUS

    BONUS - Can we gravitationally "hitch hike" out of the Solar System?

    What the bloomin’ hell is a Gravastar? Are fast radio bursts like solar flares on steroids? Plus an interesting question on multiverses that can't be summed up in a short sentence. Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey dive into The Supermassive Mailbox and take on your questions. Keep sending in your wonderful ponderings. Email them to [email protected] or via 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.

    15 min

  5. 31 MAR

    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.

    52 min

  6. 12 MAR · BONUS

    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.

    12 min

  7. 28 FEB

    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.

    47 min

  8. 19 FEB · BONUS

    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.

    13 min
See All (92)

Hosts & Guests

About

The UK's #1 space podcast. Every month, 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. Keep adding to The Supermassive Mailbox with your pictures and questions for the team. Send them to [email protected] or follow them on Instagram @SupermassivePod. You can also support the team by buying their book, The Year in Space. 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.

Information

  • Creator
    The Royal Astronomical Society
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Royal Astronomical Society
  • Show Website
    The Supermassive Podcast

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