Quincy Astronomy Club monthly meeting on Nov. 21 to address the topic of star interaction

QUINCY — Knox College graduate Alexis Riggs will be the featured speaker at the Quincy Astronomy Club meeting beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Riggs’ in-person lecture is titled “What Happens When Stars Interact?” It will cover cataclysmic variable stars and binary star systems which irregularly vary in brightness as a result of the unique gravitational interactions between their stars. The talk will focus on the formation of cataclysmic variable systems, how they can be detected and studied by astronomers, and how stars like T Coronae Borealis can produce recurring and (somewhat) predictable Novas that can be seen from Earth with the naked eye.

The meeting will be held at John Wood Community College in room D022/D023 on the rear side, lower north end of Building D. The public is invited.

Riggs is an Illinois native and recent graduate of Knox College, with degrees in astrophysics and mathematics. She is conducting research as a member of the MACRO Consortium, a group of students and faculty from colleges across the Midwest engaged in collaborative astronomical research using a co-operated robotic telescope in Sonoita, Ariz. Recent efforts of the group have been focused on investigating the interactions between stars in variable binary systems.

The Astronomy Club was formed by local amateur astronomers and seeks to teach, explore and expand minds about space and our universe. Lectures or star parties are held monthly. For more information, contact Susan Asher 217-653-5074 or asherte@yahoo.com.