The Supermassive Podcast

What is the Bootes Void? Why do we only see one side of the Moon? Can time travel be sped up? And what's the smallest amount of visible space debris? The Supermassive Podcast team answer your questions... And work on their Australian accents!? For the first time ever, you can now watch this episode on YouTube. For ad-free listening, join The Supermassive Club . Every member helps keep the show run...

Is this the toughest subject we’ve ever tackled? Izzie certainly thinks so and it’s even making Dr Becky and Dr Robert's brains hurt. Helping them to make sense of these ‘weird and interesting’ particles are Dr Kirsty Duffy at the University of Oxford and Director of the Paris Astrophysics Institute, Professor Kumiko Kotera.  For ad-free listening and to view Izzie's trajectory to b...

What happens if two diamond core stars collide? Will the Moon drift away from Earth? Why is there motion in the universe? And why we need a space AND time machine. Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert dive into The Supermassive Mailbox to answer your questions. For ad-free listening and to view Izzie's trajectory to becoming a better astronomer, join The Supermassive Club . Every member helps keep the show...

Nancy Grace Roman. Ariel. The next generation of space telescopes are here. Astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst and science journalist Izzie Clarke explore how they work, what they can tell us and why they might unravel our current understanding of the universe. Plus Dr Robert has your stargazing tips for June. Thank you to Dr Tom Barclay from NASA's Roman telescope and Dr Chris Pearson from RA...

How do we calculate a black hole's event horizon? Does Mercury's tail impact Earth? Can we name a planet Rupert? And did gravity wipe out the dinosaurs? Izzie Clarke & Dr Becky Smethurst dive into the rather whimsical Supermassive Mailbox to answer your questions. Want to name an Exoworld? Here's the IAU website to start a campaign: https://nameexoworlds.iau.org/ Send your questions, whimsical...

Izzie & Dr Becky think that space needs a spring clean, so this episode is all about space debris. What is it? How big of a problem is it? And what is being done to remove it?  With thanks to PhD student Megan Perks from the University of Southampton, who studies how safe all these new satellite constellations are, and photographer Max Alexander, who has created an exhibition all about sp...

What. A. Mission. The Supermassive Team are in AWE of the Artemis II Crew and the people that helped them to loop around the Moon. From scientific aims to societal impact, Izzie Clarke, Richard Hollingham and Dr Robert Massey reflect on this latest step to returning to the Moon and their experiences of watching it unfold. Richard was at the launch, Robert is pen pals with Reid Wiseman, and Izzie.....

The Supermassive Team are going rogue (more so that usual!) This time, it’s all about the non-conforming objects in space. Black holes, planets and the other rogue objects Izzie and Dr Becky can think of... Plus, Dr Robert Massey takes on your questions and shares his stargazing tips for April. A big thank you to Gavin Coleman from Queen Mary's University, and Astronomy Now magazine editor and own...

It’s a massive bonus episode this month with both listener questions and an extended interview with the producer/directors of the new Ryan Gosling film: Project Hail Mary.   Dr Becky and Dr Robert are joined by editor Richard to tackle questions on creating a black hole in the lab, how long a planet lasts and the size of the biggest black hole. Guest reporter, Sue Nelson, chats to Phil Lord a...

There's a crisis in cosmology when it comes to understanding a little thing like the acceleration of our universe, aka The Hubble Tension. And in this episode, Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst are digging into what this is and (trying to) explain the science behind it. A huge thank you to our guests, (Nobel Prize winning-) Professor Adam Riess from John Hopkins University and Professor Silvia G...

What are the biggest space missions of 2026? And what are the best stargazing opportunities this year? The Supermassive Team - Izzie Clarke, Dr Becky Smethurst, Dr Robert Massey and Richard Hollingham - share their astronomical excitement for the year ahead and ponder if they should charter a boat for the August eclipse. Thank you to listeners Anne Edgeworth and Karolina who inspired this episode....

The Supermassive Podcast is back for 2026, and we've got a MEGA Q&A.  What happens when two nebulae collide? Where did Neptune and Uranus form? What’s the procedure for a medical emergency on the ISS? And more. Plus, Izzie, Dr Becky, Robert and Richard cover everything you need to know ahead of the launch of Artemis II.  And here are the links to things we promised you...

Fire up your flux capacitor and dematerialise your Tardis because The Supermassive Podcast is traveling in time. Is it possible? How does it work? And, crucially, which films got the physics right (or wrong!)?  Thank you to Dr Emma Osborne from the University of York, and Dr Alfredo Carpinetti from IFLScience for their help on this episode. Alfredo's upcoming book,  Invisible Rainbo...

What would it be like to feel gravitational waves? How are satellites protected from extreme solar storms? How do gravity slingshots work? Are aliens potentially communicating outside of the electromagnetic spectrum? Plus Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert share their annual Christmas present recommendations. Keep sending your questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk, Instagram @SupermassivePod or members can post...

What are the threats to our dark night skies? And what needs to be done to protect them? Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert explore this important topic and head outside (...and the weather was not on their side!)  Thank you to Dr Samantha Lawler at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan and Andy Lawrence, the Regis professor of astronomy at the University of Edinburgh.  Do...

Can JWST detect exomoons? How can black holes keep absorbing more mass? How big is our cosmic neighbourhood? And what is a rogue black hole?! Izzie, Dr Becky and Robert answer YOUR questions. You can add to The Supermassive Mailbox by emailing podcast@ras.ac.uk or messaging us on instagram @SupermassivePod . To support the show join The Supermassive Club and access ad-free listening, forum discuss...

Grab your space swimsuit, Izzie and Dr Becky explore Mars' wet past. When did the red planet have water? Where did it go? And were there canals on Mars?  Thank you to Joe McNeil from the Natural History Museum and Sian Prosser from the Royal Astronomical Society.  If you like this topic, you might want to check out the NHM's new exhibition  Space: Could life exist beyond Earth? Don'...

It’s space book club time, featuring the latest book by author and photography expert Andy Saunders: Gemini and Mercury Remastered. Producer Richard enthuses about these mid-60s missions and we talk to the author. Meanwhile, Dr Becky, Izzie and Dr Robert also discuss Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. With questions on the size of space and why the cen...

It's been 166 years since scientists recorded the world's most powerful solar explosion. Izzie, Dr Becky and Dr Robert Massey are big fans of anniversaries, so they investigate how the Carrington Event affected the Earth - and why something similar today could be devastating. Thanks to Kate Bond from the Royal Astronomical Society and Matthew West from ESA's Vigil for joining us on this episode. J...

What would happen if the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy disappeared? Dr Becky is back to tackle your toughest of black hole questions. Alongside science journalist Izzie Clarke and Dr Robert Massey, the team also discuss what the night sky would look like in an elliptical galaxy…and are we living inside a black hole?   Join The Supermassive Club  for ad-free listenin...

We are live at the National Astronomy Meeting in Durham with questions on everything from white holes and fuzzy stars, to solar storms and time travel. Science journalist Izzie Clarke is joined by Dr Ziri Younsi – part of the team that took the first picture of a black hole. Also on the panel, Jim Wild, Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University and president-elect of the Royal Astronomica...

Izzie Clarke is joined by Dr Robert Massey to tackle your questions on the shape of space, measuring gravitational waves and planet spotting. We also have another - another! - astronaut: Producer Richard chats to British ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan about her background as an astrophysicist.  Join The Supermassive Club  for ad-free listening and share your questions, images and more. Or...

It’s a brave question to put to three astronauts live on stage but it’s a risk we are prepared to take. Recorded in front of a live audience at the UK Space Conference in Manchester, European Space Agency astronauts Tim Peake, Meganne Christian and John McFall discuss the future of human space exploration. Could robots or AI take their place? Will a trip to the Moon be as common as flying across t...

What would happen if asteroid Bennu impacted Earth? Can we timelapse Saturn's rings developing? Where are Earth's rings? Plus the solar wind on Mars... The Supermassive team answer YOUR questions. Keep sending questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk, on Instagram @SupermassivePod or join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening and to support the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

Izzie and Dr Becky decided that little ol’ Pluto doesn’t get much attention anymore. So we’re giving the dwarf planet some time in the spotlight. Why isn't Pluto a planet? How small is it? And what makes it so unique? Thank you to Prof Alan Fitzsimmons from Queens University of Belfast joining us episode. Join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening and share you questions, images and mor...