The Supermassive Podcast

Nov 18 2024 79 ep. 37 mins 3.3k
The Supermassive Podcast artwork

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 - https://geni.us/jNcrw You can send your questions to the team via [email protected] or follow them on Instagram @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

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58: BONUS - Nuclear Pasta & G-Astronomy

Nov 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

58: Strange Stars and Bizarre Binaries

Nov 05 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 q

57: BONUS - A Bumper Edition

Oct 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 a

57: Untangling the Cosmic Web

Oct 01 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 [email protected] or find us on

56: BONUS - What distorts time?

Sep 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 [email protected].

56: We Made It To Mercury!

Sep 03 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 a

55: BONUS - Galaxy Spin and Saving Herstmonceux Observatory

Aug 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

55: Venus aka "Earth's Evil Twin"

Jul 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

54: BONUS - Overmassive Galaxies

Jul 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 Galax

54: Q&A - Black Hole Special

Jul 03 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