The Royal Astronomical Society
120 episodes listed below
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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.fmAnd keep adding to The Supermassive Ma...
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Big space questions become clear, lively explanations that preserve uncertainty and distinguish intriguing evidence from extravagant conclusions.
The Supermassive Podcast turns large astronomical questions into conversations that retain the useful complications. Izzie Clark and Dr Becky Smethurst move between explanation, listener questions and specialist interviews, with Dr Robert Massey contributing practical observing…
That giant horizon Moon? Dr Becky has a pebble test for your suspicious eyes.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear, practical eclipse guide that maps the difference between partial wonder and totality.
This lively Supermassive bonus turns an eclipse into a question of place. A 95% to 97% partial view in the UK and Ireland sits beside totality across Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a tiny bit of Portugal, with Dr Robert Massey setting out why that gap matters.
A playful astronomy Q&A makes black-hole time dilation and positrons feel surprisingly close to home.
The Supermassive Podcast uses listener questions as a lively path into cosmic scale. Izzy Clark and astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst make black-hole time dilation feel graspable through a Spice Girls thought experiment: a trip around a black hole in the 1990s could leave about…
A Jupiter-like beach rock, the Moon's locked face, and first-video nerves shape a genial lunar detour.
A beach rock that looks like Jupiter makes a suitably odd doorway into an episode that travels from pocket debris to the Moon's familiar locked face, with a little first-video self-consciousness along the way. Science journalist Izzy Clark, astrophysicist Dr.
A banana and a tiny matter imbalance open a clear path into why ordinary matter remains.
Neutrinos enter through a blunt cosmic puzzle: if matter and antimatter should have emerged in equal amounts, why is there ordinary matter left to talk about?
A cosmic listener question turns into a warm, concrete guide to tidal locking and the Earth-Moon system's far future.
A listener's question about why anything moves in the universe opens into a clear, grounded tour of the Earth-Moon system. Tidal locking becomes easier to grasp through the Moon's drift, the Sun's changing mass, and the expected fate of both worlds when the Sun becomes a red…
Two astronomy questions, handled with patience, clear analogies, and a little useful wandering.
The Supermassive Podcast turns a listener question into two astronomy puzzles: why gas giant atmospheres stay opaque, and what the night sky may have looked like when the first dinosaurs appeared.
A generous Voyager episode that balances engineering history with the human wish to leave a lasting witness.
The episode makes Voyager feel like a story of reach, memory, and the stubborn engineering that kept a five-year mission talking almost 50 years later.
A brisk tour from Earth quakes to moonquakes, Io, and star quakes.
The Supermassive Podcast moves from Earth shaking to moonquakes, volcanic Io, and star quakes on neutron stars with a steady, readable hand. It keeps the science grounded by returning to plain comparisons, including Io's ground tides and the simple idea of a quake as a sudden…
Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-hosts field Cosmic Queries on physics, space, and beyond.
Rotating StarTalk scientist-hosts and a comedian co-host tackle listener-submitted cosmic questions.
ABC Radio National pairs daily Artemis II updates with its five-part Challenger Legacy investigation.
Patient space coverage with real mission context.
In this bonus episode, the hosts answer listener questions about space science, including the causes of the aurora borealis, Jupiter's great blue spot, the sun's mass loss, and how scientists date rocks.
This episode explores the formation of stars and highlights unusual stellar phenomena like binary systems and extreme stars in the universe.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast answers listener questions about space, including whether a sonic boom could occur in space when traveling faster than the speed of sound.
This emergency bonus episode discusses asteroid 2024 YR4, its potential to hit Earth, comparisons to the Tunguska event, and broader context of near-Earth objects.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast features astrophysicist Dr.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast features the hosts discussing recent astronomical events, starting with personal experiences of seeing the Northern Lights in the UK.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast features astrophysicist Dr.
This episode of the Supermassive podcast features a Q&A session with astrophysicist Dr.
This episode explores the science and implications of time travel, featuring discussions with astrophysicists and science journalists about wormholes, science fiction references, and ethical questions like whether to meddle with the past.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast addresses a listener's question about using gravitational forces from passing interstellar objects to potentially travel out of the solar system.
This episode explores the history of water on Mars, including when it existed, what conditions allowed liquid water, and where it went, featuring expert insights from the Royal Astronomical Society.
This episode of the Supermassive podcast explores the importance of protecting dark night skies from threats like light pollution, featuring discussions with astrophysicist Dr.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses a listener's proposal for terraforming Mars by using probes to redirect ice chunks from Saturn's rings to crash into the planet.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses a listener's question about the possibility of 'mole people' living underground on Mars as a solution for human habitation in space.
This episode discusses the Artemis program's plans for returning humans to the moon, featuring interviews with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA's Artemis 2 training officer.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses listener engagement and launches a campaign to save the historic Herstmonceux Observatory from closure due to an expiring lease.
This episode explores the Hubble Tension, a scientific controversy about conflicting measurements of the universe's expansion rate, featuring interviews with experts including Nobel Prize winner Professor Adam Rees.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast features a space book club discussion focusing on Andy Saunders' new book about Mercury and Gemini missions and a review of 'A City on Mars' which questions the feasibility of Mars colonization.
This episode explores the cosmic web, the large-scale structure of the universe consisting of galaxy clusters, filaments, and voids, discussing its discovery and significance.
This episode explores solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and the Carrington event of 1859 with astrophysicist Dr.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast answers a listener's question about how far away you'd need to be for the sun to become invisible to the naked eye, explaining that it remains visible from Pluto and discussing related brightness comparisons.
This episode explores the importance and challenges of sample return missions from celestial bodies like asteroids, comets, the moon, and Mars, featuring experts from the Royal Astronomical Society.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses the shape of the universe, exploring whether it is flat or curved based on a listener's question.
This live episode of the Supermassive podcast features science journalist Izzy Clark hosting a Q&A session with astronomy experts at the UK's National Astronomy Meeting in Durham.
The hosts discuss upcoming space events in 2026, focusing on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launch and listener questions about space missions.
This Q&A episode of the Supermassive podcast features science journalist Izzy Clark and astrophysicist Dr.
The hosts discuss Christmas gift ideas for space lovers, starting with recommendations like observatory visits.
This episode explores why Pluto was reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet, featuring insights from astronomers and listener questions.
This episode explores the scientific search for extraterrestrial life, discussing how astrophysicists look for signals and the methods used to find aliens.
This episode explores the relevance of astronauts in modern space exploration, featuring discussions at the UK Space Conference with insights from the Royal Astronomical Society and historical connections to NASA's Apollo missions.
The hosts celebrate a listener update about naming their baby boy Leo after a previous astronomy-themed baby names episode, highlighting the podcast's community engagement.
This episode explores the definition and boundaries of interstellar space, featuring experts discussing the heliosphere, solar wind, and space probes like Voyager.
This episode explores Mercury's characteristics, including its density, temperature extremes, and similarities to the Moon, while discussing upcoming missions and answering common questions about the planet.
This episode explores the nature of time, questioning its reality and examining how we measure it through discussions with experts on precise clocks and historical timekeeping.
This episode explores the fundamental concept of gravity, comparing Einstein and Newton's theories while addressing questions about dark energy and dark matter.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast addresses listener questions, starting with a discussion about Einstein's work on time distortion.
This episode explores Venus, Earth's 'evil twin' planet, discussing its harsh atmosphere and upcoming space missions with expert insights.
This episode explores the mysterious phenomenon of fast radio bursts, discussing their discovery, characteristics, and the scientific questions surrounding these powerful energy blasts in space.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses listener questions about space time expansion and exoplanet detection, while playfully engaging with fan feedback about neutron star terminology.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses a listener's question about whether the loose, granular surface of asteroid Bennu would burn off harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere during a potential impact, potentially reducing damage.
In this bonus episode, the hosts answer listener questions on diverse astronomy topics, including space-themed baby names, why the expansion of space doesn't tear apart solar systems, the possibility of planets with multiple solstices, the controversial dark flow phenomenon, and whether star energy is lost forever.
Astrophysicist Dr.
This bonus episode of the Supermassive podcast discusses rogue black holes, their characteristics, and addresses a listener's question about whether Betelgeuse could produce a black hole when it goes supernova.
Izzy Clark, Dr.
This episode explores seismic activity across the solar system, from earthquakes on Earth to quakes on Mars, the moon, and beyond.
Izzy Clark and Dr.
Science journalist Izzy Clark and astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst of the Royal Astronomical Society host a listener Q&A episode dedicated entirely to black holes.
In this bonus episode, the hosts answer listener questions about cosmic dust being described as 'supernova poop', the impossibility of reigniting a dying sun like in the Marvels, how to identify stars in galaxies, and debunking rumors of JWST detecting alien city lights.
Science journalist Izzy Clark, astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst, and Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society answer listener questions in this bonus episode of The Supermassive Podcast.
The Supermassive Podcast from the Royal Astronomical Society explores the major lunar standstill — a rare 18.6-year astronomical cycle where the moon reaches its most extreme northern and southern positions in the sky — and the ancient sites that may have been built to observe it, including Stonehenge and Chimney Rock in Colorado.
The Supermassive Podcast's eclipse special explains the 12 August total solar eclipse, including 95% to 97% partial coverage across parts of the UK and Ireland.
The Supermassive Podcast's Izzy Clark, Becky Smethurst, and Robert answer listener questions about science-fiction films, space vampires, lunar impacts, black holes, light pollution, asteroid belts, and multiverses.
The Supermassive Podcast features Izzy Clark, astrophysicist Dr.
The Supermassive Podcast examines neutrinos with science journalist Izzy Clark, astrophysicist Dr.
The Supermassive Podcast's "Why Is There Motion in the Universe?" features Izzy Clark, Dr.
The hosts debrief the Artemis 2 mission, sharing excitement about the launch and splashdown, with personal anecdotes and expert commentary.
This episode explores rogue objects in space, including black holes and planets, with expert guests.
The Supermassive Podcast explores the latest space research, answers listener questions, and provides stargazing tips.
Astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst and science journalist Izzie Clarke explore the latest space research and answer listener questions about the universe.
A space science podcast exploring the latest research, history, and listener questions about the universe.
This episode discusses NASA's DART mission to deflect an asteroid and the broader plan for planetary defense.
A space science podcast exploring the latest research, history, and listener questions about the universe.
This episode explores galaxy formation and supermassive black holes with expert interviews and listener questions.
This episode explores neutron stars and pulsars with an interview with astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who discovered pulsars.
This episode explores the role of humans in space exploration, including astronaut experiences and the physical effects of G-forces.