|
|
Just an update to let you know I'm still here. I'm currently working on my 2024 end of year video presentation which I will have on youtube and posted on this site soon after Christmas so keep an eye out for that. In other news I will be featured in a four part BBC television series called Chronicles Of The Sperrins which will be available on television and BBC Iplayer early in 2025, I will update more on the release dates when I find out closer to the time.
The weather situation looks fairly quiet on the run up to Christmas so I don't have any storm chasing plans yet unless this changes. However, I will be on the hunt for any aurora activity and possibly one or two night shoots before the end of the year along with my regular telescopic observing sessions. Remember to check out planet Venus in the S/SW evening sky all through December and January. The planet is spectacular and the brightest celestial object in the sky aside from the moon, it also makes for a perfect 'Christmas Star' to point out to Children, you simply can't miss Venus!
Jupiter is also spectacular and wonderful through any telescope with its four moons and cloud belts all bearing wonderful detail, even the Great Red Spot can be seen with relative ease. Mars is also bright and impressive so this really is a wonderful time to be observing the major planets of the solar system.
Unless something unexpected happens, such as a strong aurora or the eruption of TCrB or a bright new comet discovery, then my next update will be the end of year video presentation, in which case I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas!!!
Keep looking up
Martin
 |
After weeks of grey skies and drizzle a dramatic pattern change resulted in the first cold spell of the season all across Ireland and UK with Arctic air which brought our first high ground snow, including episodes of rare thundersnow. This report documents three days in a row of snow chasing in the Sperrins from November 11th to the 13th which includes scenes from Mullaghmore, Eagle Rock and Slieve Gallion. The most photogenic aspect of this event was on day three on Glenshane Pass when we got treated to sunlit snow and blue skies followed by sunset snow curtains over the wind turbines near Swatragh. The four day cold spell ended with a damaging storm which produced significant flooding which I documented on the Moyola River. A very interesting and much welcomed period of weather. One page report with 24 images and 2 video clips. - REPORT.
 |
In a year already impressing us with magnificent auroras and with a bright comet about to appear in our evening skies we couldn't have asked for a more action-packed period of night sky treats. Then the sun unfurled a full halo Earth directed CME moving at more than 1000km/sec, the CME hit a day later during the afternoon of October 10th which coincided with clear skies across N. Ireland. Friends and I teamed up near Lough Fea to watch the show unfold. At first it seemed disappointing but after midnight the Bz dropped to -46 resulting in one of the most incredible aurora displays we have ever seen in our lives. 360 degrees of auroral rays and curtains with vibrant naked eye colours while overhead a corona did its silent explosion. A night when dreams really did come true. One page report with 28 images. - REPORT.
 |
This detailed report documents the build up to one of the brightest comets to grace the northern hemisphere in 27 years, from discovery to a roller coaster ride through possible disintegration then to its final evening apparition. I went through a massive battle with cloud however I finally managed to witness the comet at its best on October 14th when the Earth crossed the orbital plane of the comet generating a rare anti-tail. That evening after a beautiful sunset afterglow on Slieve Gallion I captured the comet in twilight, and in moonlight, with a naked eye dust tail 20 degrees in length making this the best comet since Hale-Bopp in 1997. Then on October 18th I got to watch the comet from An Creagan with a BBC cameraman for a TV series called Chronicles Of The Sperrins. I consider C/203 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS a beautiful comet which I was very lucky to witness. One page report with 18 images. - REPORT.
 |
On September 13th 2024 a good CME hit generated a G3 class geomagnetic storm during daylight hours, but would it wait until darkness many hours into the future? with a Bz of -22 and KP7 things were looking good so several friends and I met near Beaghmore within the Sperrins. The aurora faded to a faint glow upon arrival and stayed that way for much of the night, we stuck it out for hours in the frost anyway. Then at 01.00 a glorious outburst happened with auroral rays reaching 60 degrees high with naked eye red and orange colours which we captured over the famous fairy tree in the area, what a photogenic treat this was. One page report with 9 images. - REPORT.
 |
September 4th 2024, dark moonless skies and Milky Way season lured was out on our first big night shoot since Summer. Paul Martin and I decided to meet up and do a return trip to Fanad Head in Co. Donegal, this would be our third night shoot in this area. We made it just in time for sunset and drone filming, then captured derelict fishing boats with twilight stars then made our way to Fanad. It was here where we witnessed a stunning Milky Way in truly dark skies with galactic dust clouds like mist among the stars combined with an explore around the old WWII observation posts. A faint aurora and green airglow also appeared for a great night under the stars. One page report with 17 images. - REPORT.
 |
Solar maximum is a time when NLCs are expected to wane in activity with the prospects of a good display being a rare event. On June 25th/26th 2024 I walked outside to check the sky and was shocked to see a vast type 5 NLC display covering the NW to NE sky sectors and directly overhead. In a panic I drove to Lough Fea where I spent the night observing what I can only describe as an epic display which rivaled the best I had ever seen back in 2009. The NLCs exhibited insane structure in the form of large whirls, knots and herringbone waves all moving in real time while casting shadows on the ground and bathing my dog and I in eerie blue light. This was a spectacular experience and to make things more interesting scientists reckon the 2022 Hunga Tonga undersea volcano seeded the Mesosphere with water droplets causing this NLC storm. One page report with 23 images and 1 video clip. - REPORT.
 |
May 10th 2024 - Mega sunspot group unfurling six CMEs and a violent impact at 800km/sec with a Bz of -50, the result was the most severe geomagnetic storm since 2003 and we had perfect clear skies. I was located in a field at Beaghmore in Co. Tyrone beside the famous fairy tree alongside a television film crew. As twilight deepened a truly spectacular aurora manifested covering the entire sky 360 degrees. Pink, green, blue, crimson and purple rays and streamers astonished us while overhead a remarkable corona dominated the sky. This corona took on the forms of birds and even a giant Angel, the display washed most of the stars from the sky and even appeared on the southern horizon. I observed it all night long and obtained my finest astro time lapse of my life. This was easily within my top five aurora experiences ever and a night never to be forgotten! One page report with 34 images and 1 video clip. - REPORT.
 |
Astronomy is not the only subject I'm interested in, check out my N. Ireland Storm Chasing section and view the chase reports and images which detail not only storms but other phenomena such as a moonbows, noctilucent clouds, aurora displays and exciting nature related photo shoots.
|
|
 |
 |
Martin McKenna
Home
