Ballymoney astro-photographer shortlisted for 'Reach for the Stars' competition

Gary Campbell has been shortlisted in the ‘Out of this World’ category for his image ‘IC1396 (Elephant’s Trunk Nebula)’.

While a high-profile judging panel will select the overall winning entries in the coming weeks, there is also an online vote so members of the public can also have their say.

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

There are two categories in the competition: ‘Out of this World’ and ‘Back on Earth’. The ‘Out of this World’ category features images depicting elements of astronomical interest. The ‘Back on Earth’ category features astro-landscape images that depict an element of astronomical interest and elements such as nature, cityscapes, land or water.

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

Gary said: “I was inspired by the YouTube Astro-photographer Chuck Ayoub. He achieved an Astronomy Picture Of the Day for his image of the Elephan’ts Trunk a few years back in 2019. When I first saw the image he was able to create from his backyard I was stunned by how much detail he was able to capture.

"More impressive I thought were the colours. I was also inspired by Marty McCormack's wider field image he took last year. IC 1396 also known as the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula got its nickname because the dark structure resembles an elephant’s trunk.

"This region is a place of star formation. This image is essentially a giant cloud of gas in space illuminated by a near by star. Overall, I am very pleased how this has turned out for such a short integration.”

Alongside the Public Choice Award for the winner of the online public vote, the overall winners and runners-up will be chosen by the judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’. Further information, including the online gallery and background information on the competition, is available at https://reachforthestars.ie/exhibition/.