There were only a few days left to view Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) and Malte had never seen a Comet. So we decided to climb San Gorgoino (11,499 ft, 3505 m) and spend a night on the peak for our best chance to catch a glimpse.
Our conditioning in the Sierra over the summer paid off for the 9 mi / 14.48 km hike with 5400 ft / 1646 m elevation gain. The comfortable temperature also helped making this a fun hike.
Conditions on the top were a little different. It was windy and with the wind chill very cold. We quickly picked a site to set up camp to escape the wind while waiting for sunset. We had our dinners and hot chocolates, but even with that we had to shelter in the tents while waiting for the sun to set and the comet to show up. The comet was supposed to become visible around 45 minutes after sunset.
It was barely possible to pick out the comet with bare eyes, but with binoculars, we got a great view. I also managed to get some pictures with my phone before my hands and feet got too cold and I had to crawl into my sleeping bag.
As a bonus, we were treated to the mountain shadow views at sunset and sunrise. Those shadows always emphasize how big this mountain really is.
We skipped breakfast since it was still windy and cold. Instead, we packed up quickly and headed down.
While there was significant discomfort during this outing it was well worth it.
cool pic of comet. Is that Starlink in the upper left of the photo
Yes, I believe that’s Starlink. I didn’t notice it until I looked at the photo.
beautiful! great pics!