71 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
    • 5.0 • 1 Rating

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.

    BONUS - Overmassive Galaxies

    BONUS - Overmassive Galaxies

    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 Galaxies Were Born - Richard Ellis 
    Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space By Adam Higginbotham

    • 22 min
    Q&A - Black Hole Special

    Q&A - Black Hole Special

    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, A Crack In Everything, is out now: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/crack-in-everything-9781804544303/

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

    • 50 min
    BONUS - Lumpy Space Potatoes

    BONUS - Lumpy Space Potatoes

    In this month's bonus episode Izzie, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey tackle questions on pulsars, woo woo sounds from black holes, imperfect spheres and alien aurorae. Send your questions to: podcast@ras.ac.uk, and we’re also on instagram @SupermassivePod. 

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

    • 14 min
    The Major Lunar Standstill

    The Major Lunar Standstill

    Every 18.6 years, our moon reaches its farthest northern and southern point, known as a major lunar standstill. This month, Izzie and Dr Becky are exploring why this might be significant to Stonehenge in the UK and another historical site in the US called Chimney Rock. With special thanks to Dr Heather Sebire, Dr Amanda Chadburn and Dr Erica Ellingson.

    The southernmost Moonrise at Stonehenge will be livestreamed, allowing viewers to witness this celestial spectacle firsthand. Plus, there'll be events throughout the standstill season which include talks, a pop-up planetarium, stargazing sessions, storytelling, and a new exhibition display at the Stonehenge visitor centre in October. To find out more, visit...  
    https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/major-lunar-standstill/#:~:text=Stonehenge%20is%20famous%20for%20its,'major%20lunar%20standstill'%20occurs.

    Or have a look at Chimney Rock in Colorado: 
    https://www.chimneyrockco.org/puebloan-resources/lunar-standstill/

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

    • 47 min
    BONUS - Why does the Aurora Borealis look better on my phone?

    BONUS - Why does the Aurora Borealis look better on my phone?

    The UK witnessed the most amazing Northern Lights in years.... And Izzie missed it.

    In this bonus episode, Dr Becky Smethurst, Dr Robert Massey and Izzie Clarke talk about those Northern Lights and answer your questions. What is Jupiter's giant blue dot? If the sun is losing mass (by giving out energy) will that affect the gravity and orbit of the solar system? And how do you date a rock? 

    • 19 min
    Voyager: Where no-one has gone before...

    Voyager: Where no-one has gone before...

    Two of the most remarkable spacecraft ever launched are the stars of this month’s episode: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. Izzie and Dr Becky talk to Dr Jamie Rankin, the mission’s current Deputy project scientist, and editor Richard gets to chat to Ann Druyan, the original Creative Director of the Golden Record project, who worked alongside her husband Carl Sagan.

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

    • 47 min

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