We can only calculate an age, but, you know, individual stars in our own milky way.

With the first stars, you don't have galaxies, you've got nothing.

This is a very empty, warring universe.

Could the death of a first star have created something like the first supermassive black star?

Hello, and welcome to the supermassive podcast from the Royal Astronomical Society.

With me, science journalist Izzy Clark and with astrophysicist Dr. Becky Smeatherst.

Last month, we discussed the Big Bang.

So it only felt right that this month we explore the first stars in our universe.

And thank you for the suggestion, Mark France,

on Twitter, that if we're talking about first stars, then we should do an entire episode on the true

first star, Miss Kylie Minogue. I do think that's probably something for another time. Right,

look, Mark, we've got enough debate in the scientific community without adding who is the first superstar into the mix, all right?

So I don't think that episode is ever going to happen.

But as always, we're joined by Dr. Robert Massey, the deputy director of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Yes, we are going to be talking about the first stars, but we're also going to be talking about Mars later. And I know that you've been Mars gazing from your own home. And I think it's quite amazing that, you know, we're here on Earth. You can look up and you can see Mars. And not only that, but the idea that we've now got two active rovers and a lander on Mars. I just think it's incredible. It is, isn't it? I mean,

Mars is such a well-explored planet. And, you know, obviously there's so much more to find as

well. But the fact, we've had rovers driving on it for now 24 years. The first one was Sojourner,

connected to the Pathfinding mission right back in 1997 you had the amazing spirit and opportunity

that landed in 2004 an opportunity ran for 14 years drove a total of about 40 kilometers around

the planet curiosity got there in 2011 has been doing extraordinary stuff doing things like looking at

what appeared to be dried up riverbeds and now now we've got perseverance. And I think anybody who saw

the footage of the landing must have been seriously impressed. I mean, the way that the parachute comes out.

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