El Paso Photographer Takes Majestic Shot of the Star on the Mountain

An El Paso freelance photographer captured a most majestic shot of the moon and a star. But not just any star; El Paso’s Star on the Mountain.

The iconic landmark that sits at a 30-degree angle on the Franklin Mountains about 200 feet above Scenic Drive is regularly shot by locals and visitors alike.

Few have taken a more amazing photo of it than the one Miguel Vigil of Edge of Forever Photography shot Sunday evening. And El Pasoans are over the moon with love for the photo.

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The image that has garnered thousands of likes and shares on social media in a short amount of time captures a crescent-shaped sliver of the moon, known as a waxing crescent moon, nestled just above the brightly lit Star on the Mountain, as if leaning in for a kiss.

“It’s been a shot I’ve been trying to get for the last several years and for one reason or another it just didn’t work out until last night,” Vigil said about the money shot.

Last year, Miguel took a similar picture-perfect shot of a waxing gibbous moon seemingly resting on the statue of Jesus Christ that sits atop Mt. Cristo Rey.

Miguel also wowed locals in 2021 with another spectacular shot of El Paso landmarks. His photo of lightning bolts lighting up the night sky behind Concordia Cemetery electrified social media last July.

To get that eerie, awe-inducing shot of the historical grave site with the Star on the Mountain visible in the distance Vigil ventured out to Concordia during an intense lightning storm.

Now that’s commitment to your craft.