Neither one knows it, but El Roque Nublo and the Neowise comet, named on its discovery in 2020, are practically the same age. This shooting star was born almost five million years ago somewhere deep in the Solar System, just as rumblings began deep below Gran Canaria, a telluric phenomenon which forged this island summit, sculpting El Roque Nublo which still stands there today.

El Roque Nublo has not budged an inch. It is a sentry which never leaves its tower, in no hurry to escape its home, as it looks out over everything it needs to know, such as the stars in the firmament. It can predict changes in the weather and the passing of the seasons before anyone else, because it has learned to identify nature’s signs. What’s more, its watchtower gives it an enviable view of the night sky, the same view enjoyed by everyone inhabiting and visiting this island, which was declared a Starlight Tourism Destination due to its extraordinary stargazing conditions.

Meanwhile, the comet is a wanderer, skirting around a gigantic orbit. In fact, it won’t be seen from Earth again for at least another 5,000 or 6,000 years. This doesn’t matter though. El Roque Nublo will be watching out for it, from its seemingly lunar landscape, so that Neowise feels like it is fleetingly coming home before it heads off again into infinity. If you can imagine a candle lit out at sea, in the middle of the night, the effect is the same. The comet in the picture is about to disappear. It is a flickering flame that goes out in silence, leaving no other trace than its luminous memory.

Related links:
Gran Canaria nights, home of the stars
Gran Canaria, Starlight destination