One day in October 2024, when the news said that the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet would not be visible with the naked eye in a few days, I used the starry sky software to check the position of the comet. I found that the Milky Way could be seen when watching the comet. I thought that the Milky Way and the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet, which would return to the solar system after tens of thousands of years, together must be a rare and interesting picture. So that night we went to Joshua Tree National Park. This national park is one of the best places to observe the starry sky at night because there is no light pollution.

Before dark, we came to the park to choose a location for taking pictures. The sun slowly went down the mountain. When it was almost dark, a young couple came over from the other side of the road and asked anxiously if there was a charging cable since their car could not start. There were not many visitors in this park, and their car was parked in a remote place. We decided to help them. My husband immediately drove himself to where they parked. I continued to look for the foreground nearby for taking pictures. Five minutes passed, ten minutes, and thirty minutes passed. My husband hadn't come back. The cell phone signal there was not good, and the call couldn't get through. I could only send text messages, but there was no reply. I began to feel worried. At this time, night descends, and the surroundings became blurry and silent. Only occasionally a car drove out of the park. I decided to give up the rare shooting opportunity tonight and packed up my equipment to find my husband. Because it was getting dark, I didn't dare to walk away. I was a little scared and at a loss. After a while, I saw a small car coming in the distance. I immediately asked them to help. After explaining the reason and the place to go, they immediately drove to the place where the car needed help. Soon the helper’s and my husband’s cars came back. After thanking the helpers, I asked my husband why he didn't reply to my text message. He said that he had been busy finding a way to start the car but found that it was not a battery problem. In the end, they had to drive another car out of the park to seek help.

After they left, we found this Joshua Tree in the night as the foreground and took this rare photo of the Milky Way companion comet. It was also the first time for my husband to take such a picture with his cell phone by using long exposure. When his friends saw the picture, they all liked it.

Gradually, the core of the Milky Way rose above our heads, and we prepared to leave the park. When leaving the park, we saw an AAA trailer coming, which may be for the stuck car. We agreed that we could not help them today, but we did something worthwhile.