'Sentinel', an image of the Baltimore Beacon, Cork. Image: Tom O'Donoghue
The winning images of this year’s Reach for the Stars competition will be available to view at an exhibition outside the DIAS headquarters from 26 July.
A wave of stunning photos of the night sky and the distant cosmos have been recognised in this year’s Reach for the Stars competition.
The latest annual astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), saw some beautiful images taken by competition entrants, including a massive star nearing the end of its life, a moonrise above Bray Head, the Milky Way from the perspective of a cave and more.
The winner of the ‘Back On Earth – Landmark’ award was Tom O’Donoghue from Malahide, who captured the Baltimore Beacon on the edge of a cliff with the Milky Way shining in the distance.
“Having seen lots of aurora shots this year, this one really stood out to us for the creativity and imagination,” said Prof Peter Gallagher, head of astrophysics at DIAS and a member of the judging panel. “Tom O’Donoghue’s ‘Sentinel’ shows how even the most familiar landmarks can still be captured in new ways.”
Another winning image was ‘The Jewels of the Swam’, taken by Martin McCormack from Glasnevin. This image won the ‘Out of this World – Deep Sky’ award and shows the Crescent Nebula in majestic detail. The image shows a star at the centre of the nebula shedding its outer layers into space.
‘The Jewels of the Swan’, an image of the Crescent Nebula. Image: Martin McCormack.
“Although the Crescent Nebula is a bright one, it can be notoriously difficult to capture,” Gallagher said. “This photographer really put in the hours and studied their craft to create a beautiful image that is truly captivating.”
As usual, the competition was fierce – the winners of the various awards were selected by a judging panel following a review of more than 200 entries. DIAS CEO and registrar Dr Eucharia Meehan congratulated all of the winners for their “spellbinding entries”.
‘Cave Man’ won the public choice category. Image: Anthony Lynch
“What is most important is that the images are a window into what is happening in our universe, and they can contribute to our understanding of the night sky,” Meehan said. “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.”
The winning images and a selection of the judges’ top-rated photos from the Reach for the Stars competition will be available to view for free in an outdoor exhibition. This will take place from 26 July at the railings of DIAS headquarters at 10 Burlington Road, Dublin.
“It’s exciting to see such high numbers of engagement with the competition this year in both entries and the public vote,” Meehan said. “We hope that more people stop by to visit the physical exhibition at Burlington Road over the coming weeks to appreciate the images in person.”
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