The Supermassive Podcast

Podcasts · Science

The Supermassive Podcast

103 episodes · 20 with AI analysis

The UK's #1 space podcast. 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. Want to support the show? Join The Supermassive Club for exclusive content, star-gazing forums and ad-free listening... supermassive.supportingcast.fm And keep adding to The Supermassive Mailbox with your pictures and questions for the team. Send them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or follow them on Instagram, @SupermassivePod . 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.

AI Intelligence · across all analyzed episodes

Topics · top 10

Time Dilation and Special Relativity×2Supermassive Black Hole Mergers×2Gravitational Wave Detection×2Orbital Mechanics×2Einstein's Theory of General RelativityGravitational Wave Detection and InterferenceBlack Hole Physics and Event HorizonsLight Deflection and Solar Eclipse ObservationsGPS and Satellite Technology ApplicationsPulsar Timing Arrays

Analyzed Episodes

Sep 26, 2024

BONUS - What distorts time?

Einstein's Theory of General RelativityGravitational Wave Detection and InterferenceTime Dilation and Special Relativity
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Oct 2, 2024

Untangling the Cosmic Web

Cosmic Web Structure and Large-Scale Universe TopologyDark Matter as Cosmological ScaffoldQuantum Fluctuations and Cosmic Inflation
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Oct 19, 2024

BONUS - A Bumper Edition

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) visibility and solar activitySolar maximum cycle and geomagnetic stormsAsteroid deflection and planetary defense
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Nov 6, 2024

Strange Stars and Bizarre Binaries

Stellar Formation and NebulaeMain Sequence Stars and Stellar EvolutionRed Giants and Supergiants
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Nov 19, 2024

BONUS - Nuclear Pasta & G-Astronomy

Nuclear Pasta in Neutron StarsPhoton Energy and Wavelength PhysicsBrown Dwarf Classification and Properties
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Dec 5, 2024

The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) - detection and characterizationMagnetars - super-magnetic neutron stars as FRB sourcesRadio astronomy - observational techniques and telescopes
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Dec 13, 2024

BONUS - Why can't anything go faster than the speed of light?

Spacetime expansion and cosmic structure evolutionEarly universe galaxy mass measurements and uncertaintiesSupermassive black hole formation and growth timescales
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Dec 21, 2024

Q&A - Space Potatoes and Christmas Stars

Star of Bethlehem astronomical candidatesNaked eye star visibility and distance measurementBlack hole physics and Hawking radiation
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Jan 29, 2025

The Search for Space Aliens

Drake Equation and Fermi ParadoxBiosignature Detection in Exoplanet AtmospheresTechnosignature and Radio Signal Search
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Feb 12, 2025

BONUS - Could we capture a primordial black hole?

Sonic Booms in SpaceCosmic Inflation vs Big Bang TheoryPrimordial Black Holes
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Feb 19, 2025

EMERGENCY BONUS - Asteroid 2024 YR4

Asteroid 2024 YR4 discovery and characteristicsPlanetary defense and asteroid impact mitigationNear-Earth object tracking and monitoring systems
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Feb 28, 2025

Sample Return Missions - What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Sample Return MissionsAsteroid Bennu AnalysisAmino Acids and Organic Molecules
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Mar 12, 2025

BONUS - Can A Star Orbit Another Star?

Stellar visibility and apparent magnitude from interstellar distancesBlack hole accretion disk physics and radiation mechanismsRelativistic jets from supermassive black holes
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Mar 31, 2025

Returning to the Moon - with ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer

Artemis Program Timeline and Mission ArchitectureLunar Gateway Space Station DevelopmentAstronaut Training Methods and Facilities
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Apr 11, 2025

BONUS - Can we gravitationally "hitch hike" out of the Solar System?

Interstellar Object Interception MissionsGravitational Hitchhiking ConceptsGravistars as Black Hole Alternatives
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Apr 24, 2025

What is Gravity?

General Relativity and Spacetime CurvatureNewton's Laws vs Einstein's TheoryGravitational Waves and Detection
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May 13, 2025

BONUS - Mole People on Mars

Subsurface habitats on Mars and the MoonLunar lava tubes and Martian caves for radiation protectionBlack hole jets and accretion disk dynamics
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May 28, 2025

Is Time Real?

Atomic Clocks and Cesium-133 StandardsGPS and Satellite Navigation SynchronizationTime Dilation and Special Relativity
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Jun 11, 2025

BONUS - Why aren’t stars closer together?

Mars Terraforming FeasibilitySaturn's Rings Mass and CompositionStellar and Galactic Distance Distribution
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Jun 30, 2025

Why isn't Pluto a planet?

Pluto reclassification and planetary definition criteriaKuiper Belt objects and dwarf planetsNew Horizons mission discoveries
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