The Supermassive Podcast

Our final episode of 2024 is a SUPERMASSIVE Q&A.  Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst and Dr Robert Massey make their way through your questions.  What’s the farthest star we can see with the naked eye? Why do black holes expand and shrink? And what would happen if we accelerated an uncompressed medium sized potato to 99% the speed of light?  And remember, do not confuse the ISS with Santa's Sleigh in the run up to Christmas. To avoid any confusion, find out when the ISS is flying over your home using https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/home.cfm If you have any questions for a future episode, email podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod. And thank you to anyone who has listened or reviewed the podcast this year, we really appreciate it.  The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 

From planetary alignment through the galaxy to spacetime expansion, The Supermassive Team answer your questions. Keep sending us your questions, email us on podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on instagram @SupermassivePod

The Supermassive Team are investigating strange blasts of energy in space called Fast Radio Bursts. What are they and where do they come from? Dr Stuart Ryder from Macquarie University in Australia joins Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert to help explain.  Christmas Present Ideas  Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s talk - A Journey into The Cosmos Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at Royal Museums Greenwich Telescope SeeStar S50  Image stabilising binoculars Cosmos (book) from DK The Impossible Man by Patchen Barrs.  The Little Book of Cosmic Catastrophes by Sarah Webb The Night Sky Almanac for 2025 by Radmila Topalovic, Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion Keep sending your brilliant questions and photos to podcast@ras.ac.uk 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

... 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. 

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 podcast@ras.ac.uk 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

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. 

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 podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on Instagram, @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media Production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 

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 podcast@ras.ac.uk. 

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 podcast@ras.ac.uk or Instagram @SupermassivePod The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 

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

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. 

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

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. 

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.

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. 

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? 

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. 

Can wobbly planets have more than two solstices? Are we earthlings receding from the sun and the other planets? What is dark flow and why is it controversial? When stars die, is their energy lost forever?  Send 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. 

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. 

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.