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Irish Times
a day ago
- Science
- Irish Times
In pictures: The winning photographs of Ireland's night skies
To infinity and beyond ... This year's winners of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) photography competition, Reach for the Stars, show us images of space that take us all across the galaxy. There were five categories open to the public for submissions and entrants could submit images taken in Ireland between April 26th last year and June 2nd this year. For the first time, under-18s were eligible to enter the competition as they could submit photos to the Night Sky in Your Hand category, in which the judges asked for images taken using a smartphone. This year the competition saw more than 170 entries from photographers across Ireland. Mark McCormack won the Out of this World – Deep Sky category for the second year in a row. READ MORE The judging panel included: Pro Peter Gallagher, head of astrophysics at DIAS; Michael McCreary, president of the Irish Astronomical Society; Dr Lisa McNamee co-founder Space Medicine Ireland; and Alan Betson, Irish Times photographer and multiple winner of the Press Photographer of the Year award. Winter Nebula in Full Bloom, photographed by Martin McCormack, Dublin, the winning image in the Out of the World – Deep Sky category. An active star-forming region of ionised hydrogen about 130 light-years in diameter, the Rosette Nebula is located in the constellation Monoceros, about 5,200 light-years from Earth The competition is run in partnership with The Irish Times and is sponsored by MKC Communications and the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland, with The Irish Astronomical Observatories Society serving as 'initiative supporters'. There will be a prize ceremony for the winners at DIAS on Wednesday, August 20th and an exhibition of winning and shortlisted photographs will be open to the public from Thursday, August 21st. The Lone Tree, by Enda O'Loughlin, shortlisted in Out of this World – Planetary. 'It was a full moon in September and I wanted to capture a photo of the moon over this iconic lone tree in the Burren limestone pavement,' says Enda. 'The image is really two images taken within a couple of seconds of each other; one is exposed and focused for the Moon and one is is focused on the lone tree; both images are edited on Lightroom Classic and merged into Photoshop to show the focus on both the Lone Tree and Moon' Crescent Nebula and Soap Bubble Nebula by John Walsh, shortlisted in Out of the World – Deep Sky. 'The floating space brain, aka the Crescent Nebula ... 17.5 hours captured over five nights. I have always been intrigued by this weird object and have dreamed of imaging it since I started the hobby last year,' says John. It is the result of a stellar explosion that occurred more than 250,000 years ago Skellig Michael Under the Harvest Full Moon, by Goran Loncar, shortlisted in Out of this World – Planetary. 'This is a result of multiple exposures blended together in Photoshop. Most of the blend was done on a sky around the Moon from same location. I didn't touch the size and position of the Moon' Winning image in the Public Vote category: Symmetry, by Anthony Lynch, Dublin. 'The train tracks are a new feature in this sculpture park in Boora,' says Anthony. 'I used an astro modified Canon 6D with a 20mm lens at f/2 and ISO 800 to capture this sweeping panorama of the milky way across the top with the tracks. It's about a 20-shot pano with each shot being 15 seconds exposure' Aurora above the Golden Fields, by Raluca Lica, Kildare, the winning image in the Back on Earth – Landscape category. 'The image was captured during the impressive geomagnetic storm on the night between May 10th and 11th, 2024. I was a little sceptic about the forecast and I was quite late getting on the move,' says Raluca. 'However, as I was loading my gear into the car, the sky suddenly brightened up and the beams started dancing. It was an unbelievable experience. The photo was taken with my Sony A7iii camera and my Sony 20mm lens, at ISO 1250, at f/1.8, three seconds exposure' Comet Tsuchinshan, ATLAS In All Its Glory, photographed by Brian O'Halloran, Waterford, the winning image in Out of the World – Planetary. The comet passed into our evening skies in mid-October 2024. 'It was an easy naked eye sight, and displayed not only a lovely tail but also an anti-tail, an apparent spike projecting from a comet's coma which seems to go towards the Sun and consists of larger dust particles left behind by the comet. This is rarely seen, and it was a privilege to capture' The Voyager, by Liam Reddall, Dublin, the winning image in Back on Earth – Landmark. 'I had seen the Voyager Statue by Linda Brunker while scouting locations online and knew it would make a captivating foreground subject. This bronze stature looks out over the coast to the sea, allowing for an uninterrupted view of the night sky. Lit by the surrounding streetlamps, it takes on a golden glow under long-exposure photography' Winning image, Night Sky in Your Hand: Comet Catcher, by Anthony Lynch, Dublin. 'Myself standing under a tree in Phoenix Park, reaching out to comet 12P Ponns Brooks when it was low on the horizon in twilight' Sunflower Galaxy by Mark Gribbin, shortlisted in Out of this World – Deep Sky. 'The image was taken from the heart of Carlow town. This is my second real attempt at focusing on a galaxy for multiple nights,' says Mark. 'I was confident when beginning this session that I would be able to do this galaxy justice and I feel I've done that here' Waterford's Crowning Glory, by Adrian Hendroff, shortlisted in Back on Earth – Landscape. 'Coumshingaun is a colossal glacial wonder; there is nothing in Ireland quite like it,' says Adrian. 'At over 2,500 feet, it boasts a stupendous view from its cliff-top, with a large pear-shaped lake sitting at the bottom of a rocky coum. Ever since taking up astrophotography, it's been a yearning ambition of mine to shoot the Milky Way from up here. Having waited for five years, a weather window finally presented itself in early April. The temperature was just below freezing but it was just amazing to see the millions of stars twinkling in the night sky'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Greek ban on ATM charges and limits on other banking fees comes into force today
On Monday morning a new regulation from the Greek Ministry of Finance came into force, completely banning charges for cash withdrawals from ATMs of Greek banks. Until now, any customer who withdrew cash from an ATM of a bank that wasn't their own provider, was charged extra. At the same time, a national limit of €1.50 was introduced for withdrawals from third-party ATMs, such as those machines located in various tourist areas and not belonging to a particular bank. What does Greece's new ATM law include? The news regulation provides the following for ATM users in Greece: Zero fees for cash withdrawals between all banks participating in the DIAS interbank system. Abolition of charges from third-party providers when there is a direct or indirect shareholding link with the customer's bank. Zero charges also from third-party providers in municipalities where only one ATM operates. €1.50 maximum charge limit for withdrawals from third-party ATMs throughout the country. Free balance enquiry for all cardholders, regardless of bank or ATM provider. One-off charge of €0.50 for sending remittances via digital channels (web, mobile, internet banking) from third-party providers, on par with bank charges. Legislative enshrinement that no bank can charge its customers for cash withdrawals. Related Mega crypto exchange Binance partners with Spain's BBVA in a bid to restore investor confidence Which nations have the highest and lowest minimum wages across Europe? What led to this decision It all started a few weeks ago when a mainstream bank in Greece replaced hundreds of its ATMs with similar machines from a third-party provider, in which it remained a shareholder. Customers of that bank found that when they withdrew cash they were being charged a fee of more than €2. The issue reached the Greek Parliament, with the opposition strongly criticising the government over the issue and the Finance Ministry responding that it would not allow banks to introduce such charges. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Greek ban on ATM charges and limits on other banking fees comes into force today
On Monday morning a new regulation from the Greek Ministry of Finance came into force, completely banning charges for cash withdrawals from ATMs of Greek banks. Until now, any customer who withdrew cash from an ATM of a bank that wasn't their own provider, was charged extra. At the same time, a national limit of €1.50 was introduced for withdrawals from third-party ATMs, such as those machines located in various tourist areas and not belonging to a particular bank. What does Greece's new ATM law include? The news regulation provides the following for ATM users in Greece: Zero fees for cash withdrawals between all banks participating in the DIAS interbank system. Abolition of charges from third-party providers when there is a direct or indirect shareholding link with the customer's bank. Zero charges also from third-party providers in municipalities where only one ATM operates. €1.50 maximum charge limit for withdrawals from third-party ATMs throughout the country. Free balance enquiry for all cardholders, regardless of bank or ATM provider. One-off charge of €0.50 for sending remittances via digital channels (web, mobile, internet banking) from third-party providers, on par with bank charges. Legislative enshrinement that no bank can charge its customers for cash withdrawals. Related Mega crypto exchange Binance partners with Spain's BBVA in a bid to restore investor confidence Which nations have the highest and lowest minimum wages across Europe? What led to this decision It all started a few weeks ago when a mainstream bank in Greece replaced hundreds of its ATMs with similar machines from a third-party provider, in which it remained a shareholder. Customers of that bank found that when they withdrew cash they were being charged a fee of more than €2. The issue reached the Greek Parliament, with the opposition strongly criticising the government over the issue and the Finance Ministry responding that it would not allow banks to introduce such charges. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Irish Independent
20-07-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Wicklow astro-photographer continues to reach for the stars
The competition aims to find the best astro-photographs taken in Ireland over the past year. Edna Kelly from Wicklow town has a longstanding history in the competition and has been shortlisted this year in the Out of This World planetary category for his entry titled Moon Opposition Season from October to April. Each frame in this composite captures Mars on a different night, revealing how its apparent size, brightness, and surface detail evolved over time. The central image shows Mars at opposition in January 2025, when it was at its most striking. Arranged chronologically, the sequence also hints at the subtle arc of retrograde motion—a visual illusion caused by Earth overtaking Mars in its orbit, making the red planet appear to reverse direction in the sky before resuming its path. In 2023, Enda was awarded the runner-up prize in the Out of This World category for his image When the planets align. Lunar occultation of Mars, which depicted the full moon as it concealed Mars from view by passing in front of it, and captured Mars just before it disappeared behind the moon from our perspective on earth. Enda also had two of his images selected last year as part of the competition to feature in an outdoor exhibition organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. While a high-profile judging panel will select the overall winning entries, an online vote is open for members of the public to view the images and vote for their favourite in the Public Choice Award. Enda will be looking for plenty of Wicklow support and you can visit in order to cast your vote. Voting is open until 5pm on Thursday, July 24, and is restricted to one vote per person. Alongside the Public Choice Award, the overall winners will be chosen by the judging panel which includes Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS; Michael McCreary, president of the Irish Astronomical Society; Dr Lisa McNamee co-founder Space Medicine Ireland and Alan Betson, Irish Times photographer and multiple winner of the Press Photographer of the Year award. The winning images selected by the judging panel and the Public Choice Award will be announced in August with an accompanying outdoor exhibition being held at DIAS HQ on Dublin's Burlington Road, for a limited time.
Irish Examiner
16-06-2025
- Science
- Irish Examiner
Podcast Corner: Celtic Studies show delves into Ireland's fascinating history
There are various rabbit holes you could dive into on listening to the opening episode of the second season of Ní Hansae, the School of Celtic Studies Research podcast. While the episode title itself, What is the School of Celtic Studies?, isn't the most exciting, the hour-long chat with Professor Ruairí Ó hUiginn is fascinating and might leave you scrambling for your old college notebook to take down titbits. Halfway through, he tells host Dr Nina Cnockaert-Guillou about some of the school's colourful history, having been set up in the 1940s. 'TF O'Rahilly published the famous lecture on the two St Patricks, and for people who had been brought up on the legend of St Patrick and all that went with it were somewhat put out a bit by the fact there might have been two St Patrick's. It did attract public attention.' Cnockaert-Guillou is the researcher behind Ní Hansae. From Brittany, France, she arrived in University College Cork in 2017 and decided to study Old Irish having never done Irish before! She eventually completed a master's degree in UCC and a doctorate in Cambridge. She is now doing post-doc work in the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS), under which the School of Celtic Studies falls, focused on a 13-century text about Fionn Mac Cumhail. Ó hUiginn is working on something similar, and has been for a long time, he explains, working off a very old edition of an Irish text on the training of Cú Chulainn and the death of his son, Conlaoth. There have been a number of different versions and the story travelled widely. He says he's hoping to publish his work in the not too distant future. In more recent history, they talk of how DIAS was founded in 1940 by the then taoiseach Éamon de Valera, based on the Princeton School of Advanced Study. 'Initially it embodied two schools, the School of Theoretical Physics and the School of Celtic Studies, and it's said that this was established by de Valera to satisfy two of his own interests; he was a mathematician and had an interest in physics, and of course he had an interest in Irish and Celtic studies as well.' Every day is a school day! The first season of Ní Hansae ran in 2020-21, with multilingualism, 'Samhain and science', and bardic poetry among the topics discussed across the eight episodes. Coming up in the second season, episodes focus on Medieval Irish kings and the English invasion, early Medieval Irish philosophy, and storytelling and Irish manuscripts. There are so many great history - and Irish history - podcasts around. Ní Hansae, with its conversational aspect, is one you can put on and just sink into - without the pressure of cramming for an exam at the end.
