The Supermassive Podcast

The Royal Astronomical Society

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.

#10 in the Top 100 astronomy All time chart

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Top 10 The Supermassive Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Supermassive Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Supermassive Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Supermassive Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

38: BONUS - More Comets, Less Asteroids

The Supermassive Podcast

03/10/23 • 12 min

Is there a Cosmological Horizon? Can we change a comet's orbit to see more of them? What's the most distant human-made object in space? Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert dive into The Supermassive Mailbox to answer your questions.
Want to support The Supermassive Podcast? Why not buy our book The Year In Space - https://geni.us/jNcrw
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Listeners

39: Jupiter The Monster

The Supermassive Podcast

03/24/23 • 47 min

Izzie and Dr Becky explore the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. What do we know about this big ol’ planet? And what are the missions that will find out even more? The team is joined by Scott Boulton, Principal Investigator of NASA's Juno mission, and Professor Emma Bunce from the University of Leicester, also involved with ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (aka JUICE). Plus Robert Massey shares his top stargazing tips for spring.
Everyday STEM Science - Space! by Izzie Clarke
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/izzie-clarke/everyday-stem-science-space/9780753447963
The Year in Space by The Supermassive Podcast
https://geni.us/jNcrw
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Listeners

28: How to Kill a Galaxy

The Supermassive Podcast

04/30/22 • 43 min

How does a galaxy evolve and die? Izzie and Dr Becky find out with help from Tim Davis at Cardiff University. Plus, Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society answers your questions and explains how to spot galaxies in the night sky.
Thank you to Brilliant for sponsoring this episode. Head to brilliant.org/supermassive to start free courses in maths, science, and computer science. The first 200 subscribers will get 20% off.
The link below has more information on the RAS Public Talk with Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, Space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life - with humans and with robots.
https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-public-lectures-and-events/space-exploration-and-search-extraterrestrial
A Year In Space by The Supermassive Team will be out on Oct 13th 2022. Pre-order here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-Space-Supermassive-Podcast-Astronomical/dp/1472299507/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1O3PS3QUCPP2A&keywords=the+year+in+space&qid=1650904438&s=books&sprefix=the+year+in+space%2Cstripbooks%2C94&sr=1-3
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

Double Astronaut Special: Returning to the Moon

The Supermassive Podcast

11/25/22 • 50 min

The Astronaut Alarm is in overdrive... Izzie, Dr Becky, and his excellency Richard Hollingham have not one but TWO astronauts on this month's episode.
From the archive, Richard speaks to NASA astronaut Gene Cernan about Apollo 17 and being the last man on the Moon. ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer talks about the upcoming Artemis missions which will see humans (hopefully, Matthias himself) return to our rocky neighbour. Plus, Robert Massey is on hand to answer your questions and share his stargazing tips for the month.
Read the full interview with the Last Man on the Moon, Gene Cernan, and find out more about Artemis in our book, The Year In Space.
Order here (it's an excellent Christmas present): https://geni.us/jNcrw
What cheese is the Moon made of? Email [email protected] or tweet @RoyalAstroSoc with your thoughts on the debate.
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

30: Rocky Planets Rock

The Supermassive Podcast

07/01/22 • 51 min

Izzie and Dr Becky are flying closer to home to look at the Rocky Planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. How are they different? How are they similar? And can understanding their past tell us anything about Earth’s future? Plus, Dr Robert Massey has his stargazing tips for summer.
With special thanks to Dr Suzie Imber from the University of Leicester, and Sian Prosser from the Royal Astronomical Society.
Thank you to Brilliant for sponsoring this episode. Head to brilliant.org/supermassive to start free courses in maths, science, and computer science. The first 200 subscribers will get 20% off.
Our book, The Year In Space 2023, will be out in Oct 2022. Pre-order here: https://geni.us/jNcrw
We'll be LIVE at Standon Calling, Friday 22nd July 2022 at 2pm. Find out more: https://standon-calling.com/
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

29: Gas Giants are Weird

The Supermassive Podcast

05/31/22 • 49 min

From hexagonal shaped storms to spinning sideways, Izzie and Dr Becky are exploring our weird and wonderful Gas Giants. Joining them are Dr Tom Stallard from the University of Leicester and Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Director of the Royal Astronomical Society. Plus editor, Richard Hollingham, takes a trip to the Royal Astronomical Society’s library to see Galileo’s first observations of Saturn’s rings and William Herschel’s notebook from when he discovered Uranus.
See Jupiter's fast rotation (thanks to Dr James O'Donoghue) https://twitter.com/physicsJ/status/1519023430053818368
Thank you to Brilliant for sponsoring this episode. Head to brilliant.org/supermassive to start free courses in maths, science, and computer science. The first 200 subscribers will get 20% off.
The Year In Space 2023 by The Supermassive Team will be out on Oct 2022. Pre-order here: https://geni.us/jNcrw
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. Edited by Sarah Moore.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

34: How to Deflect an Asteroid

The Supermassive Podcast

10/27/22 • 46 min

Terrified that an asteroid could wipe out the planet? Don’t panic...the Supermassive team are here to help. Izzie and Dr Becky talk to Professor Alan Fitzsimmons about the results of the DART asteroid deflection mission and Samuel L Jackson (who knew he’s studying for a Phd at the Open University?) tells us how scientists plan to track and tackle threatening space rocks. Plus why the Deep Impact movie terrifies both Izzie and Dr Becky, but for very different reasons, and Dr Robert Massey takes us through the November night sky.
The Year in Space from the Supermassive Podcast is out now: https://geni.us/jNcrw
Send in your questions to [email protected]
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham for the Royal Astronomical Society.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

BONUS - Galaxy Spin and Saving Herstmonceux Observatory

The Supermassive Podcast

08/21/24 • 13 min

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

43: Most of the Universe is missing...

The Supermassive Podcast

07/28/23 • 46 min

The Supermassive Team have spent the last three years attempting to talk about ALL the stuff in space. But that only makes up 5% of our universe. Where the heck is the rest?
This month, Izzie and Dr Becky dive into the topic of Dark Matter and Dark Energy... The stuff that makes up that missing 95% of the universe. With special thanks to Dr Alex Hall from the University of Edinburgh for covering the basics, and to Dr Stephen Wilkins from the University of Sussex for explaining how ESA's new space telescope Euclid will give us new insights to the field.
If you enjoy The Supermassive Podcast, please rate, review and follow us. Even better, why not vote for us at The British Podcast Awards?! https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

37: BONUS - The Supermassive Mailbox

The Supermassive Podcast

02/11/23 • 13 min

You spoke. We listened. We're releasing more episodes! Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert answer your questions in this first bonus episode of The Supermassive Podcast.
How hard is life for an astronomer that's a morning person? How do we know if a star is really red or just red-shifted? And more.
To add your questions, photos, messages to The Supermassive Mailbox then email [email protected], tweet @RoyalAstroSoc or find us on Instagram @SupermassivePod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Listener

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Supermassive Podcast have?

The Supermassive Podcast currently has 90 episodes available.

What topics does The Supermassive Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Astronomy, Podcasts, Science and Physics.

What is the most popular episode on The Supermassive Podcast?

The episode title '38: BONUS - More Comets, Less Asteroids' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Supermassive Podcast?

The average episode length on The Supermassive Podcast is 37 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Supermassive Podcast released?

Episodes of The Supermassive Podcast are typically released every 20 days.

When was the first episode of The Supermassive Podcast?

The first episode of The Supermassive Podcast was released on Jan 17, 2020.

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The Supermassive Podcast

The Royal Astronomical Society

Top 10 The Supermassive Podcast Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The Supermassive Podcast have?

What topics does The Supermassive Podcast cover?

What is the most popular episode on The Supermassive Podcast?

What is the average episode length on The Supermassive Podcast?

How often are episodes of The Supermassive Podcast released?

When was the first episode of The Supermassive Podcast?

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