Did Gravity Wipe Out The Dinosaurs?

Did Gravity Wipe Out The Dinosaurs?

Author: The Royal Astronomical Society May 13, 2026 Duration: 19:24

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 messages and your night sky photos to podcast@ras.ac.uk or find us on Instagram @SupermassivePod. Or why not support the show by joining The Supermassive Club? You'll get ad-free listening and access to The Supermassive forum.


The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.


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Hosted by science journalist Izzie Clarke and astrophysicist Dr. Becky Smethurst, The Supermassive Podcast is a journey through the cosmos produced by The Royal Astronomical Society. Each episode blends cutting-edge science with historical context, creating a rich narrative that connects past discoveries to present-day mysteries. You’ll hear conversations with leading researchers breaking down complex ideas, from gravitational slingshots to the nature of time itself, alongside deep dives into archival material that reveals how our understanding of the universe has evolved. The tone is both curious and conversational, making even the most profound concepts in physics and astronomy feel accessible and exciting. Regular contributions from Dr. Robert Massey offer practical guidance for observing the night sky, grounding the theoretical in the tangible. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's an exploration driven by listener questions, which range from the wonderfully weird to the fundamentally profound, ensuring every topic has a direct link to shared human curiosity. Tuning into this podcast feels like having a front-row seat to the latest scientific discussions while being reminded of the long, fascinating history that got us here. It’s where the biggest questions about black holes, multiverses, and our place in the cosmos are met with genuine enthusiasm and expert insight, all delivered with a distinctly engaging energy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Supermassive Podcast
Podcast Episodes
23: The End of the Universe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:44
What will the end of days actually look like? And how will it happen? This month, Izzie and Dr Becky explore the end of the Universe with cosmologist Dr Katie Mack - author of The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speak…
22: JWST - Seeing the First Stars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:34
Finally, Izzie and Dr Becky are talking about the James Webb Space Telescope but why is this telescope so impressive? NASA’s Keith Parrish, the observatory manager for Webb, covers the basics and Professor Gillian Wright…
21: Icy Worlds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:37
Wrap up warm, because this month Izzie and Dr Becky are exploring the icy worlds in the solar system. To help, they're joined by Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, to discuss the new mission h…
20: Firey Worlds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:20
Izzie and Dr Becky are turning up the heat and exploring the fiery worlds in our solar system. From planets close to the Sun to a distant world of volcanoes and lava. Joining them are planetary scientist Professor David…
19: Radiation Belts and Billionaires [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:44
This month it’s all about the trapped charged particles around our planet - the Van Allen radiation belts. Izzie and Dr Becky find out all about them with the help of Dr Maria Theresia Walach from Lancaster University, a…
18: A Hunk of Space Junk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:35
Grab your dustpan and brush… This month, Izzie and Dr Becky get to grips with the leftovers from space activity, it's all about space junk. Joining them are engineer Dr Hugh Lewis from the University of Southampton, who…
17: Hunting for Planet 9 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:54
Is it a planet? Is it a black hole? Is it even real? This month, Izzie and Dr Becky try and get to the bottom of the mysterious planet nine - an enigmatic - and so far invisible - ninth planet in our solar system. Helpin…
16: Mysteries of the Kuiper Belt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:12
“It’s like the evidence left over after a crime.” This month Izzie and Dr Becky venture into the outer Solar System to explore a sea of weird rocks, a squashed snowman and ice volcanoes on a demoted planet. They are join…
Neutron Stars - with Jocelyn Bell Burnell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:25
"I was tracking down every signal that it picked up, and there was one signal that I couldn't make sense of." Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell gives Izzie and Dr Becky a neutron star 101 and tells them how she discove…

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