Westmeath man on shortlist for DIAS astrophotography comp

– Opportunity for Westmeath people to have their say through online public vote –

Ronan Hunt from Mullingar has been selected for the next stage of the ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).

The competition aims to find the best astro-photographs taken in Ireland over the last year.

Mr Hunt has been shortlisted in the ‘Night Sky in Your Hand’ category for his image, ‘The Aurora Reflected on Lough Owel’.

While a judging panel will select the overall winning entries in the coming weeks, an online vote was launched today (June 13), so members of the public can also have their say.

All shortlisted images can be viewed on the ‘Reach for the Stars’ website, www.reachforthestars.ie, and members of the public can cast their votes for their favourite images.

More than 230 images were submitted to the competition this year – the most ever received – and 50 were selected for the shortlist and public vote.

Entrants were invited to submit entries in five categories:

1. Night Sky in Your Hand: Images taken with only a smartphone, and without telescopes, of an astronomical scene.

2. Out of this World – Planetary: Images of the planets, sun and moon.

3. Out of this World – Deep Sky: Images of celestial objects that exist outside our solar system such as nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies.

4. Back on Earth – Landscape: Images that depict a feature of astronomical interest as a prominent feature and elements such as nature, land or water.

5. Back on Earth – Landmark: Images that depict a feature of astronomical interest as a prominent feature and elements such as cityscapes, buildings, houses, historical structures or monuments.

The winning images selected by the judging panel, the public vote will be announced in July, and an outdoor exhibition staged by DIAS to show the best images.

Alongside the winner of the Public Choice Award, the overall winners will be chosen by the judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’, which includes: Professor Peter Gallagher, head of Astrophysics at DIAS; Brenda Fitzsimons, picture editor at The Irish Times; Michael McCreary, president of the Irish Astronomical Society; and Niamh Breathnach, director, Alice Public Relations.

Dr Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS, said: “The online exhibition is a great opportunity for people to learn about our solar system, the galaxies around us and what lies in the night sky. It will be a difficult task to choose a favourite from the shortlisted entries.

“I’m so impressed by the level of creativity and skill we have among photographers in Westmeath, and across the country. This year has seen the highest number of entries in the history of the competition, and we hope to see the interest in our night skies continue to grow.”

Votes for the Public Choice Award are restricted to one per person, and voting will close at midday on Friday 5 July 2024.

The DIAS ‘Reach for the Stars’ competition is run in partnership with The Irish Times, and is sponsored by Alice Public Relations and the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland. The Irish Astronomical Society are initiative supporters.

Further information, including the online gallery and background information on the competition, is available at https://reachforthestars.ie/.