MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Experience the cosmos this Friday night at Middle Tennessee State University during the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s First Friday Star Party.

This month’s Star Party features a lecture from John Wallin, director of the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in computational and data science. Wallin’s academic research at MTSU includes parsing gravitational interactions in the universe.

He will discuss chasing eclipses at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Hall, located at 422 Old Main Circle.

“The first solar eclipse I ever saw was on Feb. 26, 1979, just north of Winnipeg, Canada,” said Wallin. His high school astronomy teacher, Dale Gibbs, organized the trip from Wallin’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota.

“That eclipse was one of the events that inspired me to become an astronomer,” said Wallin, who has witnessed four eclipses across the world, including on MTSU’s own campus in 2017. He and his wife plan to travel to Morocco in 2027 for a fifth.

“In short, I am hooked,” said Wallin.

Following the 45-minute lecture, attendees are invited to stargaze at the MTSU observatory, if weather allows, until 8:30 p.m. The observatory houses the university’s Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, which feeds the telescopic field to two wall-mounted displays.

Held the first Friday of each month during the fall and spring semesters, these family-friendly Star Parties welcome the community to observe “the marvels of the skies,” in the words of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. 

The final 2026 Star Party is Dec. 4, with a lecture from physics and astronomy instructor Irina Perevalova. Community members are invited to submit suggested lecture topics via email to Chuck Higgins at [email protected].

Parking is available in either the Judd-Sims or library lots on the north side of Alumni Drive between North Baird Lane and Womack Lane after 4:30 p.m. on Fridays. A searchable campus parking map is available at bit.ly/2026parkingmap.

— Cat Curtis Murphy ([email protected])