Sky’s the limit for centre exhibition

Sky’s the limit for centre exhibition

1 March 2017

FROM the mysterious clouds of the Milky Way, to the electric colours of Northern Lights, a new exhibition of astronomical themed photos is coming to Downpatrick.

‘Heavens Above’ at the St Patrick’s Centre has been organised by local photographer Bernie Brown, who is among the contributors to the collection from the Irish Astronomical Association (IAA).

The exhibition has previously been staged at a number of high profile venues to popular acclaim, including the Linenhall Library, in Belfast, Lisburn Island Arts Centre and the Clotworthy House gallery in Antrim. 

This vibrant collection of photos cover a wide range of subject matter, including the detailed capture of celestial events such as solar and lunar eclipses.

Among the 40 images on display was one was taken at Delamont Country Park, where the IAA have a monthly viewing evening. Local scenes also include Down Cathedral by moonlight.

Bernie explained that the equipment required to capture these stunning sky shots involved the use of the latest technology.

“Some of the pictures in this exhibition have been taken with specialist equipment from exotic locations in order to capture the very best starlight possible,” said Bernie. “However many others have also been captured from ordinary locations in Northern Ireland using off the shelf photographic equipment that many people would use for holiday snapshots.

“It is a measure of how far modern technology has advanced that such equipment is also able to capture such fabulous images in very low light.”

Included in ‘Heavens Above’ are category winners of the International Astronomy 

Photographer of the Year Competition organised by the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, and also the recent winner of Amateur Astrophotography Ezine’s ‘Milky Way’ competition.

To complement the exhibition, there will also be several short videos playing at the St Patrick’s Centre which illustrate the stages of a solar eclipse, several recent planetary and lunar conjunctions and Northern lights displays. One by Bernie Brown, ‘A close encounter - Planetary conjunctions around Downpatrick’ is available to view on YouTube.

The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) based at Queen’s University is a registered charity which promotes interest in astronomy, space, and related topics. The club meet every month at Delamont, weather permitting, and the events are open to the public to view the night sky.

For more information on the Irish Astronomical Association visit: http://irishastro.org

‘Heavens Above’ opened yesterday at the St Patrick’s Centre and will run until March 31.