MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will launch the fall First Friday Star Party season this week with a high-energy exploration of the universe’s most extreme environments.

MTSU physics and astronomy lecturer Erik Monson will deliver this semester’s first event with a lecture on “X-Raying the Cosmos: The How and Why of X-Ray Astronomy,” starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Hall, 422 Old Main Circle.

“Observing in the X-rays sheds light on some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe,” said Monson, who has a background in X-ray astronomy and previously worked in the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, or ACIS, group at Penn State.

The group is a pioneering research team “dedicated to the analysis of data from” the powerful ACIS instrument for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope that boasts a specialized mirror that captures everything from the violent remnants of massive star explosions to black holes actively accreting surrounding matter.

“These high-energy processes give us critical insight into how energy and matter move throughout galaxies like our own,” Monson said.

During the 45-minute lecture, Monson will explain the evolution of X-ray astronomy, tracing its path from origins in rocket-borne detectors to modern, school-bus-sized space telescopes.

Held each fall and spring semesters on the first Fridays of the month, the programs are free and open to all ages. The program kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at each session.

Weather permitting, the nearby MTSU Observatory will be open for outdoor telescope viewing following the Star Party program.

The remaining Star Party Schedule includes:

• Oct. 2 — Lecturer Gregg McPherson will discuss “The Science of Disaster Movies.”

• Nov. 6 — Professor John Wallin will discuss “Chasing Eclipses.”

• Dec. 4 — Instructor Irina Perevalova will discuss a topic chosen by the public. To suggest a topic, email Chuck Higgins at [email protected].

Parking is free after 4:30 p.m. on Fridays and the closest lots are located on the north side of Alumni Drive. A searchable campus parking map is available at bit.ly/2026parkingmap.

Learn more about the Friday Star Parties at mtsu.edu/observatory/star_parties/. Learn more about the Physics and Astronomy Department at https://physics.mtsu.edu/.

— Nancy DeGennaro ([email protected])