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The Supermassive Podcast
Supermassive Q and A...Live!
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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 Astronomical Society…and the one and only Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Director of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening and share your questions, images and more. Or email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod.
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.
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The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.
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Protecting Our Dark Skies
49:58|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. Don't forget to join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening, forum access, and extra content from the team. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.BONUS: Supermassive Gone Rogue
22:00|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 discussions, and member's only content.70. A Watery History of Mars
47:26||Ep. 70Grab 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't forget to join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening, forum access, and behind the scenes from the team. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.BONUS - Mercury, Gemini and Pringles
32:30|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 centres of galaxies are brighter, it really is quite the bonus episode. You can hear a longer version of the interview with Andy Saunders in the latest Space Boffins Podcast. Join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening and share your questions, images and more. Or email reach us at podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod (particularly if you discover a comet). The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.Don't Panic…but a solar storm could be a disaster
47:22|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.Join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening and to share you questions, images and more. Or email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod.The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.BONUS - Are we Living in a Black Hole?
14:03|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 listening and share your questions, images and more. Or email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod.The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.BONUS - What Shape is Space?
19:27|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 email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod.The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.Astronauts. Do we need them?
50:04|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 the Atlantic? And can humans be trusted to not mess with Mars? Host Izzie Clarke asks the big questions, producer Richard Hollingham threatens the audience, and (soft sceptic) Dr Robert Massey is prepared to be unpopular as they contemplate the role of astronauts in the 21st century. Join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening and share your questions, images and more. Or email them to podcast@ras.ac.uk or on Instagram @SupermassivePod. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.