Image Location and Date: Tierra Del Sol on May 15th, 2010
Object: Venus, Moon, power lines.
Mount: CG5GT
Lens: Tokina 28mm
Exposure: 1/40th at f5.6
ISO: 1600
Camera: Nikon D60
Snapped a few quick pictures of the summer milky way from the Palomar Mountain turnout. Unfortunately my deep cycle battery wasn’t working correctly so I didn’t have the ability to set up my telescope mount. Therefore, I have no tracking, therefore, star trails. There was a nice marine layer covering San Diego County, you can see the peaks of mountains and valleys poking above it. Great night. Pardon the noise, I was shooting at ISO3200 and forgot to take dark frames. I did get the chance to try out a 28mm Tokina lens I found at the swap meet for $20, so far so good.
This is a local spot for me, near the top of Palomar Mountain on the first 1/4 mile down East Grade Road. Over 5000 feet in elevation, the seeing here is usually excellent. Light pollution is getting pretty bad in the surrounding areas, but it’s not uncommon for a marine layer to shroud the cities below, preventing their light pollution from spilling up into the sky.
This spot is just a large turnout. No power, no facilities, just a turnout on the side of the road large enough so that there is no chance of any car hitting you and sending you over the edge.
GPS: 33° 18′ 38.96″ N 116° 51′ 44.29″ W
I really enjoyed this site. Went out on November 21st, 2009 (my birthday). Easily some of the darkest skies I’ve ever seen in Southern California. Mount Laguna was to the west of us, I could easily see the observatory with my scope during the day. It’s a regular campsite with bathrooms, water, fire pits and plenty of space. The SDAA will occasionally host public star parties here.
