Professor John Wallin will discuss “The Invisible Universe and How We See It” at the next MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy First Friday Star Party, starting at 6:30 p.m. March 2 in Wiser-Patten Science Hall Room 102.

Dr. John Wallin

First Friday Star Parties are a way for the department to bring the MTSU, Murfreesboro and surrounding communities together. Each event features a lecture followed by telescope viewing outdoors, weather permitting.

The Star Party, which is free, is open to the public as well as MTSU students, faculty and staff. Attendees should dress warmly for the outdoor portion; temperatures may be in the upper 40s by telescope viewing time.

In addition to this Friday’s event, other Star Party topics scheduled this semester include:

• April 6 — “Funky Fizix in Film” with Dr. Eric Klumpe.
• May 4 — “Space Oddity” with Dr. Irina Perevalova.

To find free parking after 6 p.m. at Wiser-Patten, visit http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap. Handicapped-accessible parking requires a state permit.

The lectures are videotaped by the Education Resource Channel at Middle Tennessee, also known as ERC@MT, and aired in rotation on Xfinity cable Channels 9 and 1096 and Roku at 3 p.m. Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. Thursdays and 11 p.m. Fridays. The ERC is part of the Center for Educational Media in the College of Education.

For more information about the series or the astronomy program, call 615-898-2130 or visit www.mtsu.edu/programs/astronomy.

Including physics and astronomy, MTSU has more than 240 combined undergraduate and graduate programs. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is one of 11 departments in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

MTSU astrophysicist John Wallin, shown here inside the university’s observatory, will lead a discussion on “The Invisible Universe and How We See It” starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 2, when MTSU continues the spring 2018 series of First Friday Star Parties. (MTSU file photo)