64 episodes

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 podcast@ras.ac.uk or follow them on Instagram @SupermassivePod.

The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

The Supermassive Podcast The Royal Astronomical Society

    • Science

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 podcast@ras.ac.uk or follow them on Instagram @SupermassivePod.

The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

    Into The Interstellar

    Into The Interstellar

    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. 

    • 45 min
    BONUS - Dust, stars and alien streetlights

    BONUS - Dust, stars and alien streetlights

    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. 

    • 12 min
    Quakes in Space

    Quakes in Space

    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. 

    • 53 min
    BONUS - Double Yolker Galaxies

    BONUS - Double Yolker Galaxies

    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. 

    • 13 min
    The End of the World

    The End of the World

    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. 

    • 47 min
    Do We Live In A Multiverse?

    Do We Live In A Multiverse?

    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. 

    • 48 min

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