A Londonderry man’s photo, ‘Fanad Head – Aurora 2024’, has been selected as a winning image in the 2024 Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

‘Fanad Head – Aurora 2024’, taken by Patryk Sadowski, from Derry city, was the winning image in the ‘Back on Earth – Landscape’ category. This category called for images that depict a feature of astronomical interest as a prominent feature with elements such as nature, land or water. The winning image captures the aurora borealis in May 2024 and was shot at Fanad Head Lighthouse in Donegal, a location that the photographer has been shooting since 2009.

Mr. Sadowski’s winning image will be showcased as part of an outdoor exhibition at DIAS headquarters at 10 Burlington Road, Dublin, from Thursday, 25th July. The 23 top-rated images from the competition will be displayed alongside Sadowski’s. The exhibition is free to attend.

Commenting on Patryk Sadowski’s winning photo, Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS and a member of the judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’, said: “The photographer took advantage of the opportunity to shoot Fanad Head Lighthouse from a different perspective and it paid off. Having seen lots of aurora shots this year, this one really stood out to us for the creativity and imagination.”

Fanad Head - Aurora 2024, winner of the 'Back on Earth – Landscape' category.

placeholder image — Fanad Head - Aurora 2024, winner of the 'Back on Earth – Landscape' category.

Tom O’Donoghue, from Malahide in Dublin, was the winner of the ‘Back on Earth – Landmark’ category. The winning image ‘Sentinel’ captures the Baltimore Beacon standing watch as the Milky Way rises over the ocean. Commenting on the image Professor Peter Gallagher, said: “This shot shows how even the most familiar landmarks can still be captured in new ways. The judging panel loved how the Milky Way provided a stunning backdrop for the lone sentinel.”

Martin McCormack, from Glasnevin, Dublin claimed first prize in the ‘Out of this World – Deep Sky’ category. The winning image ‘The Jewels of the Swan’ captures the Crescent Nebula, a 25 light-year-wide emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. Featured in the image is a star at the centre of the nebula shedding its outer layers into space resulting in a dense shell of scorching hot material giving the nebula its shape.

The winner in the ‘Out of this World – Planetary’ category with his image of the moon rising over Bray Head was Anthony Lynch from Stoneybatter, Dublin. Capturing this image involved a last-minute 200-yard dash down the beach for Anthony, to ensure he had the shot lined-up perfectly.

Mr Lynch also scooped the top prize in the Public Choice category. His image ‘Cave Man’ which captured the Milky Way from a cave at Goat Island, Ardmore, received the most votes in the online public vote. This year over 5,000 people cast their votes online for their favourite image.

The inaugural ‘Night Sky in Your Hand’ category was won by Seanie Morris, from Blueball, Co. Offaly, 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 images in this category had to be taken on a smartphone, and without telescopes, of an astronomical scene.

The winners were selected by a judging panel following a meticulous judging process of over 200 entries. In addition to Prof. Peter Gallagher, the judging panel included 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 astrophotographers 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.

“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. 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.

“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’d like to thank all of those who entered for sharing their passion and creativity with us. 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.

DIAS’s ‘Reach for the Stars’ competition is being 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.

Notes to the Editor

Image files

The winning images, along with the runners up can be accessed here.

About DIAS

As the world’s second, and Ireland’s only, Institute for Advanced Studies, DIAS is a globally embedded institution that attracts scholars and academics from around the world. It conducts and publishes advanced research across three areas: Celtic Studies, Theoretical Physics and Cosmic Physics (encompassing Astronomy, Astrophysics and Geophysics). DIAS also leads Ireland’s participation in a number of international research endeavours that focus on big unanswered questions for mankind. Further information is available at www.dias.ie.

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