Astronomic images by Cork photographers light up night sky exhibition

Spectacular photographs of the night sky taken by three Cork snappers have been selected to feature in an outdoor exhibition as part of the 2024 Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition.

‘Earth Calling’ was taken by Cobh photographer Cian Ryan and captures the Elfordstown Earthstation near Midleton. The lack of light pollution made the site a perfect spot to take a picture of the Aurora Borealis — also known as the Northern Lights — which made a rare appearance in the skies over Ireland earlier this summer.

Another image captured the receding tide on Keem Bay in Mayo as it revealed an s-curve in the sand. As the stream meandered through the sand, it created a line leading the viewer’s eye to the Orion constellation rising in the night sky.

Last August’s blue moon features in a photo taken by Shaunagh O’Connell from Minane Bridge, an image of the moon rising over the beach in Crosshaven. The photo of the moonlight reflecting on the water created what the judges described as “a magical scene”.

Ballincollig snapper Colm O’Dwyer captured an image of the Orion constellation which included a cluster of new stars blazing brightly, illuminating the surrounding gases to give a myriad of colours including red, magenta, blue, and teal.

The competition, organised by Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), culminated in the exhibition which has been running at the institute’s headquarters at 10 Burlington Rd since last Friday. The images taken by the Cork photographers feature among a selection of 20 other images from the other entrants.

The winning images were selected from over 200 entries by a judging panel following a meticulous judging process. The panel included DIAS head of astrophysics Peter Gallagher, The Irish Times former picture editor Brenda Fitzsimons, Irish Astronomical Society president Michael McCreary, and Alice Public Relations director Niamh Breathnach.

DIAS chief executive Eucharia Meehan said she was “blown away” by the quality of the photos submitted for this year’s competition.

“Astrophotography is about the interactions between humanity and the universe, and it can be a tool to engage the general public in science and astronomy,” said Ms Meehan.

“At DIAS, we are extremely proud of our involvement in the area of space research with initiatives like the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland, a historic partnership between DIAS Dunsink Observatory, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, and Birr Castle Demesne. We are delighted that the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland has come on as a sponsor for this year’s competition.”