Palomar Mountain News

There is a reason they named the South Grade to Palomar “Highway to the Stars”. The lookouts on the last couple night have had lots of cars up to photograph Comet Tsuchinshan – ATLAS. You have a few more opportunities to see it for yourself.

Photographers and long-time friends of the Mountain, Ernie and Katie Cowan came up on Saturday night, October 12 for this shot. Ernie said it was “… Spectacular. If you miss it, it will be back in 80,000 years. See you there!”

Oh, and this just arrived from another photographer extraordinaire, Mike Pique, taken about 7:10 PM Sunday evening (sunset was 6:20) from his cabin property off East Grade.

“I had a good view last night (Sunday, 13 October) from the yard below the cabin on the southwest slope of Palomar Mountain.  Had to look across all the lights on the coast, of course, but fun to see it.  I had missed it Saturday because it was not as far south as I’d expected and it was behind the cedar tree shown here (I didn’t know to go down to the yard).  Time of photo was 1919h PDT; sunset was 1821h so not quite an hour earlier.  Camera was my Sony Alpha, APS-size, kit telephoto zoom set at “82mm 35mm equivalent” (its widest setting).  You could fiddle with the contrast and maybe bring out more tail, but I just send it as-is.”

We’ll be watching for it the next couple nights! Come on up!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor, enjoying the shows from the Highway to the Stars