Q&A: Meteors, Artemis II, and Space Bathtubs
1/29/202652 min
The Supermassive Podcast is back for 2026, and we've got a MEGA Q&A.
What happens when two nebulae collide? Where did Neptune and Uranus form? What’s the procedure for a medical emergency on the ISS? And more. Plus, Izzie, Dr Becky, Robert and Richard cover everything you need to know ahead of the launch of Artemis II.
And here are the links to things we promised you in this episode...
Our episode "How to Time Travel"Our episode "Do We Live in a Multiverse?"Richard's brilliant Space Boffins podcast
Join Th...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsIzzie Clarke· Host0:00
[ethereal music] When I saw this question, I thought, "How am I going to describe this?"
Becky Smethurst· Host0:04
You can imagine them fossil nerds on the ground like, "In my day, we didn't evacuate."
Robert Massey· Panelist0:08
[laughs] Both Uranus and Neptune were originally significantly closer to the sun.
Izzie Clarke· Host0:12
Something could have changed drastically between us recording this and this episode going out. [ethereal music] Hello, welcome to the Supermassive podcast from the Royal Astronomical Society. With me, science journalist Izzy Clark and astrophysicist Dr. Becky Smethurst.
Becky Smethurst· Host0:29
This is our first episode of 2026, so what better way to dust off the cognitive cogs, if you will, [laughs] when- then with a Q&A episode.
Izzie Clarke· Host0:40
Oh, I hope you're ready. It's been- I'm ready ... it's been a while since we've got into this.
Becky Smethurst· Host0:44
[laughs] Yeah.
Izzie Clarke· Host0:44
And I also can't believe that we've been making this show for six years, so.
Becky Smethurst· Host0:48
Yeah, that doesn't make sense in my head.
Izzie Clarke· Host0:50
[laughs] No, I know. I'm like, what has time done? Have we actually been through a black hole and done some time traveling ourselves? [laughs] [laughs] But I did also wanna say thank you to everyone that has listened, sent in questions, just generally supported the show. We just really appreciate it.
Becky Smethurst· Host1:06
Yeah, we really do. And we also wanted to thank everyone that has joined the Supermassive Club. Your membership subscription really helps us to keep making this podcast. If you're listening and you want to support the show, then you can join the Supermassive Club for a small monthly fee. Not only do you get ad-free episodes, but there are a few forums on there where we and the other members chat about stargazing and book recommendations and the occasional special episode, like our recent bonus.
Izzie Clarke· Host1:28
Yeah. So