logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
49m 46s

Neptune... At Last!

THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
About this episode
They've done it. It has taken them all year but Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst have reached the final planet in our solar system; Neptune.

Dr Leigh Fletcher from the University of Leicester is back to cover the basics of the planet and Carolyn Kennett, Chair of the Society for the History of Astronomy, tells Izzie about its controversial discovery. Plus, Dr Robert Massey is on hand for some winter stargazing.

The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production by Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham for the Royal Astronomical Society. 




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Nov 14
BONUS: Supermassive Gone Rogue
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 ... Show More
22 m
Nov 1
A Watery History of Mars
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 ... Show More
47m 26s
Oct 16
BONUS - Mercury, Gemini and Pringles
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 ... Show More
32m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2016
Signs of life on planets, Royal Society Book Prize, Queen Bee control, Galactic Prom 29
What should we be looking for when searching for life on other planets beyond our solar system? Scientists urgently need to come to a consensus on this as a new suite of telescopes soon begins detecting. The space agency NASA has put together a virtual institute called The Nexus ... Show More
27m 49s
Mar 2021
Cosmic Queries – Life on Exoplanets with Sara Seager
<p>Is there life on other planets? On this episode of <em>StarTalk</em>, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Matt Kirshen dig into the search for extraterrestrial life with exoplanet expert and author of the memoir, “<em>Smallest Lights in the Universe,” </em>astrophysicist Sara Seag ... Show More
50m 9s
Jan 2023
The James Webb Space Telescope - the first 6 months
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has produced amazing images in its first 5 months, but amazing science as well. Roland hears from one of the leading astronomers on the JWST programme, Dr Heidi Hammel, as well as other experts on what they are already learning about the first ga ... Show More
1h 3m
Apr 2024
The Moon Itself
<p>There’s a total solar eclipse coming. On Monday, April 8, for a large swath of North America, the sun will disappear, in the middle of the day. Everywhere you look, people are talking about it. What will it feel like when the sun goes away? What will the blocked-out sun look l ... Show More
49m 13s
Dec 2016
Neil de Grasse Tyson on Pluto
The US science superstar, Neil de Grasse Tyson grew up in the Bronx, and studied astrophysics at Harvard, Columbia and Princeton Universities before becoming director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. But he's best known for his TV and movie appearances, his books, podc ... Show More
27m 55s
May 2023
Brightest supernova in a decade
A star in the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy has exploded spectacularly into a supernova, dubbed SN 2023ixf. It is the brightest in a decade and it has got astronomers around the world into a frenzy. Science in Action hears from both amateur and professional astronomers alike as they scr ... Show More
27m 43s
Dec 2018
Venus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the planet Venus which is both the morning star and the evening star, rotates backwards at walking speed and has a day which is longer than its year. It has long been called Earth’s twin, yet the differences are more striking than the similarities. ... Show More
50m 25s
Dec 2018
Venus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the planet Venus which is both the morning star and the evening star, rotates backwards at walking speed and has a day which is longer than its year. It has long been called Earth’s twin, yet the differences are more striking than the similarities. ... Show More
50m 25s
Sep 2020
Space Junk
<p>Outer space is crowded. Satellites, pieces of rocket, and stuff that astronauts left behind, such as cameras and poop, are just floating around. This space junk can pose a threat to our communication systems.</p> <p>In this episode we talk with Lisa Ruth Rand, a fellow at the ... Show More
58m 5s