MTSU physics and astronomy associate professor Chuck Higgins will explore the November arrival of Comet ISON during the first MTSU First Friday Star Party of the fall semester.
Higgins, an MTSU faculty member since 2001, will discuss the comet’s possibilities at the star party, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, in Wiser-Patten Science Hall Room 102.
The public is invited to the free event that offers free parking behind Wiser-Patten. A printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap13-14.
After Higgins’ “Comet ISON: Bang or Bust?” talk and question-and-answer session — and weather permitting —the free public event will be followed by a short walk to the classical observatory for a night viewing.
“Will Comet ISON be bang or bust?” Higgins asked.
He said comets are “fantastic visitors from the outer solar system,” sometimes seen from Earth over a few weeks as they move rapidly in their elongated orbits when they are near the sun.
“Much excitement has been made about Comet ISON, which is expected to be visible in November,” Higgins said.
“Some astronomers are predicting it to be extremely bright, perhaps as bright as the moon when it is near the sun in the daytime sky,” he added. “However, other scientists are wary. Comets are notoriously unpredictable in their brightness.”
Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok of Russia discovered Comet ISON Sept. 21, 2012. It is said to be 3.1 miles in diameter.
At the star party, Higgins said he will share how people can learn more about comets and their properties and learn more details about when and where to view Comet ISON.
The remaining First Friday Star Parties this fall, all starting at 6:30 p.m., include:
• Oct. 4 — “Life on Exoplanets: What Might Established Religions Say?,” led by guest speaker David Weintraub of Vanderbilt University;
• Nov. 1 — “Funky Fizix in Film: Part III,” led by MTSU professor Eric Klumpe; and
• Dec. 6 —“Mysterious Gamma Ray Bursts,” led by MTSU assistant professor Irina Perevalova.
For more information about the star parties, call 615-898-2430 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/physics/.
