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STAR W E E K L Y
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA
Alfred Molina and Jane Kaczmarek in “Long Day’s Journey into Night” see page 3. Photo by Chris Whitaker.
PERMIT NO 00005
Friday, February 24, 2017 Vol. 11 No. 16
‘Are we alone?’ 7 new Earth-sized planets discovered, 3 found ‘ in star’s habitable zone’ By Desert Star Staff The newly-discovered ‘exoplanets’ could have life-supporting liquid water under the right atmospheric conditions, according to the space agency, but the chances of finding water in its liquid state are highest with the three in their star’s ‘habitable zone’. NASA revealed the new
findings about the exoplanets, meaning planets outside our solar system, at a special press event in Washington, DC. The exoplanets circle the star TRAPPIST-1, which lies just 39 light-years from Earth. The discovery sets a new record for the greatest number of habitable-zone planets found around a single
By Shirley Brenon If you missed the Dr. George Car Show at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens then you were not among the 11,000-other people that attended. There were 961 cars displayed and they had a higher shine than an officer’s dress shoes. There were woodies, VW buses with beautiful upholstered seats, roadsters, sedans, restored historical vehicles, low riders, hot rods, drag racers and station wagons. It was lines and lines of sparkling chrome and vividly painted horsepower just waiting to be seen and praised. The owner of each car was nearby to answer questions and
many participants and their families were sitting together for picnics and conversation under canopies. The crowd made their way from car to car with many side trips to the 45 vendors that were selling food, clothing, car accessories and souvenirs. In addition, they had many opportunities to hear Car Talks in the speaker’s tent with former team member on the TV Series “Overhaulin’” Andreas Somogyi; former World Champion Race Driver Allen Grant and NHRA announcer and race commentator Bob Beck as he interviewed many special guests who described their
star outside our solar system. This discovery could be a significant piece in the puzzle of finding habitable environments, places that are conducive to life,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement. “Answering the question,
‘Are we alone?’ is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable step forward toward that goal.” At a news conference to announce the discovery, one of the research team said TRAPPIST-1’s relatively close proximity to Earth means
information on the planet’s lifehosting potential should soon be informed by hard data. In a Q&A session following the announcement, NASA scientists said that the presence of water has not been confirmed on any of the newly-discovered planets. Continues on Page 3
Palm Springs Cruisin’ Association hosted Dr. George Car Show
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The parade of winners was enjoyed by the crowd. Leading is a ’61 Plymouth Belvedere followed by a ’37 Ford roadster. Photo by Murray Ross