Dublin photographers claim prizes in Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition

A Dublin photographer’s image has been selected as a winning image in the 2022 Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Tom Dineen from Castleknock, claimed first prize in the ‘Out of this World’ category, alongside his competition partner Raluca Dana Lica.

This category called for images depicting scenes or elements of astronomical interest such as deep space images or images of the solar system.

Their winning image ‘A Fiery Rosette’ captured the Rosette Nebula – an emission nebula in the constellation of Monoceros, located about 5,200 light-years away from Earth. The image data was captured by Raluca in her backyard in Naas town, Co. Kildare, over 11 nights, with Tom, completing the image processing.

Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS and a member of the judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’, said: “In the ‘Out of this World’ category, we chose an image of the Rosette Nebula. This shot is excellently executed, and really captures complex astronomical features that are difficult to photograph.

“There’s an enormous amount of skill and patience in capturing images like this. As well as the technical ability, the image is stunning, and really stood out in a very competitive category.”

Anthony Lynch from Stoneybatter, Dublin scooped the top prize in the Public Choice category.

His image ‘Space station sun’ (above) which captured the International Space Station flying past the sun received the most votes in the online public vote.

Adrian Hendroff, from Stepaside, Dublin, was a runner up in the ‘Back on Earth’ category, for his image ‘Copper Coast Fireball’ (above).

The illuminating image was taken in Kilmurrin along the Copper Coast in Co. Waterford. Another one of Adrian’s images, ‘Brandon’s Mystical Night Sky’, taken in Co. Kerry, placed in the top 20.

Martin McCormack, from Glasnevin, also placed in the top 20 images with his entry ‘Widefield shot of Cygnus and Cepheus regions’, (above) which was entered into the ‘Out of this World’ category.

All of these images will be available to view as part of an outdoor exhibition, from this Friday, 12th August 2022. The exhibition will hang at the railings of DIAS’s premises at 10 Burlington Road, Dublin and is free to attend.

The ‘Milky Way Arch over Pine Island’ took first prize in the ‘Back on Earth’ category. It was an image capturing the Milky Way in a clear night sky over Pine Island at Derryclare Lough in Connemara, Co. Galway. The image was taken by Felix Sproll, from Galway City.

The other runner up in the ‘Back on Earth category’ was Aisling McGuire from Moyard, Co. Galway for her submission, ‘The Bens Under the Milky Way’.

Runners up in the ‘Out of this World’ category were: Richard Sweeney, from Ladysbridge Cork, for his image ‘The Jewel of Orion’ and Aaron Kelly from Ballyjamesduff, Cavan, for his image ‘The Heart Nebula’.

A special School of Cosmic Physics 75th Anniversary Prize was also awarded to Sean O’Riordan from Kilmallock, Limerick for his image ‘Zodiacal Light above Cliffs of Moher’. This prize was included this year to celebrate DIAS’s School of Cosmic Physics 75th anniversary, and was awarded to an image that captured the areas of study of the School. The winner was chosen by Prof. Tom Ray, Director of the DIAS School of Cosmic Physics.

The winners were selected by a judging panel following a rigorous judging process of over 180 entries. In addition to Prof. Peter Gallagher, the judging panel included Brenda Fitzsimons, Picture Editor, The Irish Times; John Flannery, Vice-President, Irish Astronomical Society; and Niamh Breathnach, Director, Alice PR & Events.

Commenting on the competition, John Flannery, Vice-President of the Irish Astronomical Society and member of the judging panel, said: “The second year of the Reach for the Stars competition continues to see photographers raise the bar in showcasing their talents. Much hard work has been put into composing and taking the wide range of entries covering nightscapes and other celestial sights, but all capture the essence of amateur astronomy – a shared appreciation for the beauty of the Universe. All of the participants in the competition are to be congratulated.”

Echoing John’s comments, Brenda Fitzsimons, Picture Editor, The Irish Times, said: “From glistening galaxies to tranquil landscapes, the combination of science and serene captured in these breath-taking images were a pleasure to judge.”

Fellow judge Niamh Breathnach, Director of competition sponsors Alice PR & Events, remarked on the creativity shown by the photographers: “This year, the competition was split into two main categories, to recognise both the talent of photographers capturing stunning astronomy images against the beautiful Irish landscape, as well as those skilfully shooting deep space images. It was fantastic to see people’s creativity in capturing the various wonders of the night sky. We had a difficult job in choosing winners – with the standard so high, and the level of skill and artistic flair that came through from the entries. The competition really captured the imaginations of people from all corners of Ireland – which is what it is all about.”

Commenting on the success of the competition, Dr. Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS said: “I would like to congratulate the winners of the competition on their achievements, and thank them and indeed all entrants for sharing their creativity with us.

“This competition builds on DIAS’s – and Ireland’s – proud astronomical heritage. We have a rich history in space research, and are involved in a number of major astronomy projects around the world, including our work on the James Webb Space Telescope – the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. It’s fantastic to be able to play a role in fostering an interest and appreciation in astronomy with a wider community of people in Ireland, through Reach for the Stars.”

The winning images are all available to view now online on www.reachforthestars.ie