MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University Department of Physics and Astronomy professor John Wallin will discuss “Nova Quest: Your Guide to Finding a Star’s Explosive Debut,” for the second Friday Star Party of the fall 2024 semester.

The Star Party will start at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, in Wiser-Patten Science Hall Room 102. Free parking after 4:30 p.m. can be found behind in the Judd-Sims lot or James E. Walker Library lot and other nearby lots, both located on the north side of Alumni Drive between North Baird Lane and Womack Lane.

All Star parties are free and open to the public and children are welcome. The format is a 45- to 60-minute lecture followed by a telescope viewing at the nearby MTSU Observatory, weather permitting.

Typically held on the first Friday of the month during the semester, the Physics and Astronomy Friday Star Parties feature an assortment of interesting astronomy and physics topics from veteran faculty members.

“T Corona Borealis, or T CrB, is binary star system that has erupted into nova explosions several times in the past,” Wallin said. “When this happens, it brightness changes from something barely visible in our telescopes to something easily visible with the naked eye. Recent observations of the brightness of the star suggest that it will erupt again as a Nova explosion in the next few months.”

In the talk, Wallen said he “will explain what a nova explosion is, why they happen over and over again, and what we might expect to see when the system does explode.” 

The remaining Friday Star Party schedule:

• Nov. 1 — Topic to be announced from web suggestions presented by instructor Irina Perevalova.

• Dec. 6 — Topic to be announced.

For more information about Physics and Astronomy, one of 11 College of Basic and Applied Sciences departments, call 615-898-2130.

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