The Supermassive Podcast

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 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.

  • 17 minutes 42 seconds
    58: 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. 

    19 November 2024, 3:00 am
  • 48 minutes 10 seconds
    58: Strange Stars and Bizarre Binaries
    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 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
    6 November 2024, 2:00 am
  • 31 minutes 38 seconds
    57: BONUS - A Bumper Edition
    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 and Telescope
    NASA
    ESA
    ESO
    The RAS Website and Journals
    Dr Becky's YouTube channel
    Astrobites.org
    TheConversation.com 

    The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 
    19 October 2024, 1:00 am
  • 43 minutes 57 seconds
    57: Untangling the Cosmic Web
    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 Instagram, @SupermassivePod.

    The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 
    2 October 2024, 1:00 am
  • 15 minutes 53 seconds
    56: BONUS - What distorts time?
    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]


    26 September 2024, 1:00 am
  • 35 minutes 25 seconds
    56: We Made It To Mercury!
    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 and Dr Simon Lindsay from the University of Leicester. 

    Don't forget to send your questions to the team via [email protected] or Instagram @SupermassivePod

    The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 
    4 September 2024, 1:00 am
  • 13 minutes 41 seconds
    55: BONUS - Galaxy Spin and Saving Herstmonceux Observatory
    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
    21 August 2024, 1:00 am
  • 42 minutes 49 seconds
    55: Venus aka "Earth's Evil Twin"
    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 questions.

    The paper about the sounds on Venus can be found here

    The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 
    1 August 2024, 1:00 am
  • 22 minutes 39 seconds
    54: 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

    20 July 2024, 1:00 am
  • 50 minutes 18 seconds
    54: 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. 
    3 July 2024, 10:37 am
  • 14 minutes 4 seconds
    53: 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: [email protected], 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.

    21 June 2024, 11:01 pm
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