By Paul McElwee
A DONEGAL man who ‘reached for the stars’ in a photography competition has had his stunning image selected as part of an outdoor exhibition showcasing astrophotography across the country.
Taken by Letterkenny man Ozgud Ozdemir, ‘Northern Lights at Dunfanaghy’ is part of the 2024 Reach For The Stars competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
Mr Ozdemir’s photograph captured he Northern Lights on the western horizon at New Lake in Dunfanaghy back in May.
Mr Ozdemir’s image, one of over 200 entries, was selected as part of the ‘Back on Earth – Landscape’ category.
Top spot in the category went to another Donegal –based image, ‘Fanad Head – Aurora 2024’ taken by Patryk Sadowski from Derry.
Patryk Sadowski’s stunning picture of the Aurora Borealis over Fanad Lighthouse which won the Back on Earth – Landscape category at the Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition.
Other winners include Tom O’Donoghue from Dublin for his ‘Sentinel’ picture capturing the Baltimore Beacon standing watch as the Milky Way rises over the ocean, Malahide man Martin McCormack’s ‘Jewel of the Swan’ which captured the Crescent Nebula, Anthony Lynch’s image of the moon rising over Bray Head, also scooping the top prize for his ‘Cave Man’ image taken from a cave on Goat Island, Ardmore.
Finally, the inaugural ‘Night Sky in Your Hand’ category, highlighting images taken on a smartphone of an astronomical scene, was won by Offaly man Seanie Morris with his image ‘Sam and Lucy’s first BIG aurora’ which shows the silhouettes of his children against the backdrop of May’s spectacular aurora display.
The winners were selected by a judging panel following a meticulous judging process of over 200 entries.
The judging panel included Prof. Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS, Brenda Fitzsimons, former Picture Editor, The Irish Times; Michael McCreary, President, Irish Astronomical Society; and Niamh Breathnach, Director, Alice Public Relations.
Commenting on the success of the competition, Dr Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to the winners of the competition on their spellbinding entries. Each year I am blown away by the talent and creativity of astrophotographer’s in Ireland. 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.
“It’s exciting to see such high numbers of engagement with the competition this year in both entries and the public vote. 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. I hope that the night sky continues to be a source of inspiration, creativity and wisdom going forward.”
The winning images are all available to view now online on www.reachforthestars.ie and are available to view at DIAS headquarters in Dublin.
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