Jim McVicker Wins Quick Draw at BAI’s 19th Annual Plein Air Invitational

By Dennis Mammana Week of March 8-14, 2026 If you hear the word "superstar," what immediately comes to mind? Perhaps names like Tom Hanks, Taylor Swift or LeBron James? That's certainly understandable; they are all undisputed superstars who attract the attention of paparazzi and fans alike. If you're an astronomer, however, you may answer this question differently. For example, when I hear the word "superstar," I think of UY Scuti, WOH G64 or RSGC1-F01. Yes, these are superstars, but not quite how people may think. These are some of the largest stars known in our galaxy and, for that reason, are quite intriguing to us celestial paparazzi. Regular readers of this column know that our sun is also a star. It appears big and bright in our daytime sky because not only is it rather close (about 93 million miles away), it's also pretty large (nearly a million miles across). It sounds huge, but our star is rather small on a cosmic scale, and believe it or not, there are stars out there that would dwarf our sun and make it look tiny. These are the true superstars! Until recently, the largest star known was given the hopelessly poetic name of UY Scuti. At a distance of some 9,500 lightyears from Earth, UY Scuti is what is known as a red hypergiant star, with a diameter some 1,700 times that of the sun! All that changed recently, however, when astronomers found a gargantuan star some 2,150 times larger than our sun! It's named Stephenson 2-18, and if you'd like to get a peek at this stellar behemoth, you'll need more than your eyes. At a distance of some 18,900 lightyears, it appears 5,100 times fainter than we can see without a telescope. If you have no telescope but would still like to see a celestial superstar, you're in luck. There's one shining in our night sky right now; it's one of the brightest up there and is named Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse sparkles brightly in the northeastern corner of Orion, the hunter, and you can see its orange light midway up in the southern sky after dark this week. With about 15-20 times more mass than our sun, Betelgeuse is known as a red supergiant star for good reason. While we could align 109 Earths across the face of our sun, we would need at least 700 suns to cross the face of Betelgeuse! Indeed, this star is so immense that if it replaced our sun at the center of our planetary system, Betelgeuse would engulf the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, and stretch part of the way to Jupiter! Yet it appears as a simple point of light in our night sky because of its tremendous distance from us — some 3,100 trillion miles, or about 520 lightyears. Betelgeuse is easily one of the largest known stars, though its size fluctuates by as much as 60% as the star shudders and pulsates on its way to an eventual supernova explosion, thousands or millions of years from now. Or tonight. We just don't know.  I hope you'll step out under the night sky soon to meet this remarkable superstar for yourself! Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. Learn More About Borrego Springs

SDG&E Planned outage has been canceled. As part of SDG&E’s reliability initiatives in Borrego Springs, two planned outages have been planned. The first outage will occur Wednesday, March 18, 2026, from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Thursday, and the second outage will occur on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Wednesday for infrastructure maintenance and to make improvements to our system. “We understand these outages can be disruptive and appreciate your patience while we conduct this important work to build a more resilient electric system,” SDG&E states. Learn More About Borrego Springs

Karla Diaz’s Unity Project returns for a 2026 festival in Borrego Springs with public portrait banners at The Mall, a Unity Walk, and a Community Unity Festival. Karla Diaz’s Unity Project returns to Borrego Springs in 2026 for its third community-responsive activation, continuing a unity-focused effort she launched in 2024. The project combines a community run/walk, public programming, and painting with the goal of creating safe spaces for healing, art, and collective storytelling. After a year-long residency, research, and a series of community-led workshops, the Unity Project culminates in three core components: a community run/walk event, two public portrait banners inspired by Diaz’s interactions and workshops, and an exhibition of her watercolor works on paper. Diaz’s work centers narrative, identity, and memory as a way to generate collaboration and dialogue among diverse communities. 

Lucky Tongue at the Dreamweaver Amphitheater at The Springs Lucky Tongue is scheduled to perform live at the Dreamweaver Amphitheater at The Springs in Borrego Springs. Below are the confirmed event details plus a few on-site logistics so people know what to expect when they arrive. Event facts Event: Lucky Tongue (live music) Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026 Time: 5:00–7:00 PM Location: Dreamweaver Amphitheater at The Springs (The Springs at Borrego RV Resort and Golf Course), Borrego Springs, California Cost: Free show Amphitheater setup Seating is informal: sit on the grass, sit in chairs set-up for the event or bring your own chairs Guests may arrive by golf cart The setting is relaxing and outdoor Food and drinks The Springs Wine & Beer Bar will be open El Dorado Tacos will be selling food

COMING SOON: The Gallery at the Palms