Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)

The goal of my hike today, a nicely tailed space visitor straight from the Oort cloud. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) highlights the sky at dusk, with the Milky Way as its background. Below, and (luckily for astrophotography) well hidden by clouds, the human-made lights of the local villages surrounding Lac de Joux and Lac Brenet compose and pair well with the remaining sunlight.

Dent de Vaulion, Vallorbe, Vaud, Suisse

October, 2024

Mountain Walkers

They are out there, gaining altitude, seeking vantage points over the horizons, sometimes greeted with heavy stormy skies and golden sunsets.

Lac Léman, as seen from Corbetta, Fribourg, Suisse

February 2023

Framed Winter Sun

Along a short climb to Corbetta, the Winter Sun frames itself with the local deciduous trees.

Les Paccots, Fribourg, Suisse

February 2023

The Reeks

The last sunlight of the day manages to break through overcast skies and finds its way to MacGillycuddy's Reeks range. A last kiss before nightfall.

Co. Kerry, Ireland

June, 2021

To a day’s end

In a somewhat dynamic May skies, I took a end-of-day kind of chance at Mount Gabriel in Mizen Head. The prize was the Sun, shadowing the mountains and overflowing the landscape with its remaining warmth.

Mount Gabriel, Co. Cork, Ireland

May, 2021

The Raven Forest Beach

A forest guarding an endless sandy strand covered in green algae, the contours of previous  tides waiting for an ocean to replenish it, the wind and the chattering birds close and afar, and a maze of trails leading  in and out of the shades…

Curracloe, Co. Wexford, Ireland

September, 2020

Dingle Peninsula Northern face shortly after sunrise from Brandon Point.

Ireland, where you can have the four seasons in a single da… NOW! 

Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland

August, 2020

A short window of a night sky

Haunted by unfavorable weather, heavy clouds coming in from the West, yet still clinging to a chance fed from a forecast of a short window of clear skies in the opposite direction, I raced the clouds towards the closest mountains Northeast of Cork. In the dark, a short hike, all the way up to Knockmealdown Mountain’s Sugar Loaf, and smack right into a dense cloud. No visibility upwards or anywhere really, except the blurry whitish of my lamp reflecting upon the dense mist surrounding me. I dropped the gear, put up a stove and got my hot cacao going… At least, tonight, I could have that.

And once again, in this unforeseeable symphony of Irish landscapes, the winds came to play, along with a sudden drop in temperature, pushing all the moisture to the ground, dragging the mist to lower altitudes. On the horizon below me, the surrounding towns were now blurry strokes of reflected light. Above me? Above me was something else… an entire galaxy unfolded, with Jupiter and Saturn dancing in the foreground, and sporadic meteors fading into bright light. The sights were only scarred with already too many man-made communicating clunks of shiny metal and solar cells.

Knockmealdown Mountains, Co. Waterford

2020, July

Comet Neowise plus some celestial firework…

A glimpse of a clear night sky in Ireland, with her winds toned down to a soft breeze. Above, a gibbous moon shining South, closest planets circling the hemisphere, some human amalgamations of metal shining in unnaturally slow trajectories, and an unexpected comet surging North… Wait, what? Comet?!

Had to get myself on top of a mountain, far, far West, away from man made lights and bound to seek only those that have been filling the darkness and myths, for ages beyond senses.

On a starry sky, emerging over the landscape, there it was, an unusual shape, a blemish of light in the dark sky, bright in its core, dragging a flamboyant tail. A rewarding sight and reason enough for the drive and experience, memory already in the making.

I set the camera, attached optics, pushed buttons in an exploratory sequence, capturing the scarce photons into bytes, a hope of digitizing the sight.

In the hour that followed, what happened goes beyond imagination. Emerging below the comet, behind the far mountains, a surge of noctilucent clouds rampaged across the entire landscape, exalting light, colors and tones worthy of a William Turner painting. The clouds cradled the comet, as if blessing its astronomical voyage. The beauty of this night landscape now deeply impressed my mind. I wasn’t expecting this. I would be happy just for the comet. There’s always light. Sometimes, we just need the darkness to see it.

Mount Gabriel, Mizen Head, West Cork, Ireland

July, 2020

Daffodils, a lot of them

A local field was massively planted with daffodils, meant to be harvested for spring time festivities. These were canceled, the daffodils were not... And here they stand, proud in their numbers, yet fragile in each stem, rendering their humble admiration to the glorious Sun. At night, even in the dark, I can notice them. If the wind favors, their perfume floods the surroundings and the entire town (it's really a lot of daffodils!). They are a festival by themselves!

Bandon, County Cork, Ireland
2020, April

Blessed by the Sun

No wonder that, in the 6th century, a monk decided that this would be a great location for a monastery. St. Finbarr, however, that to expel a certain giant snake from the local grounds first... A closer perspective I took before the valley panorama I previously posted. At this moment sunrise had just emerged, yet the Irish winds were still asleep, leaving the lake undisturbed.

Gougane Barra, Ballingeary, County Cork, Ireland
2019, October

Light over darkness

I could see it, feel it, and experience it, moving in and across the landscape, downwards into the chilled, undisturbed lake. Slowly, determined, resolved to overwhelm shadows and fight off all its demons. Sunlight gradually creeped in, casting its blessing and warmth upon darkness and all those who inhabit the glaciar valley and the forest within. An astronomical blessing.

Gougane Barra, Ballingeary, County Cork, Ireland
2019, October

Looking back on The Burren

At the end of the trail, after going over and around this thing, I took a final look back at it. Apparently, the skies had decided to play along with the landscape and clouds aligned themselves with the rocky formations just to make the view more interesting.

Sometimes, it's good to look back and enjoy whatever you left behind you. Then, just keep going forward!

The Burren, Claire Co., Ireland
2019, September

Sunset

Sunset, the moment your day comes to an end ayou can take some time to reflect upon it. ...and your self. Well, if your day wasn´t that good, you still got the night left.

Rosscarbery (Ros Ó gCairbre), Ireland
2019, March

The light hunters

The light hunters. We are out there, momentously climbing out of our dark caves into a mad and somewhat obsessed pursuit of light. Quite literally!
A lone photographer appears at the location where I was and crosses the scenery. We did not know each other but, immediately, we recognized a common trait among us, we both had a slight glimpse of hope that, in that stormy day, the Sun, the Skies, the Wind, the Sea and all the landscape would align into something interesting that we could capture in the form of a photograph. ...and a memory. It did! And we both were there to witness it.

Rosscarbery (Ros Ó gCairbre), Ireland
2019, March

Winter arrives at Kerry

The sudden moment when Winter decides that time has come to impose itself all over your landscape. Purple Mountain (An Sliabh Corcra) doesn´t seem so glorious now that the weather descends upon it.

Eirk (Adharc), Co. Kerry, Ireland
2019, January

Stop along your way...

Following the road along the Lee Valley, it becomes hard to actually get anywhere. I just had to stop and look over Lough Allua one more time. Here, right here and now, even just shortly after sunrise, I was already grateful for this day.

Lough Allua (Locha Lua), Co. Cork, Ireland
2018, October

An amazing colour palette

On the northern edge of County Cork, just before arriving to Glengarriff village, one can witness a magnificent view of the Eastern side of the Beara Peninsula. Prominent over the landscape, the Sugar Loaf Mountain stands at mere 574m altitude. Yet, I do find the name quite provocative. It seems I´ll have to return here in snowy days to see if this mountain stands for its name. In a day of gale winds close to the coastline, trekking and, particularly, photography were neither easy nor pleasurable. Yet, it was still very rewarding. The grasslands, burnt by last month´s snow, have now taken golden tones. In this moment, the Sun managed to shine through the clouds and revealed the most amazing turquoise waters in Bantry Bay. Together, they paired into an amazing colour palette.

Glengarriff (Gleann Garbh), Cork Co., Ireland
2018, January

Hungry Hill

At its northern coast, Bantry bay is enclosed by the Beara Peninsula. With a perspective from the opposite margin, a prominent shape steeply emerges from sea level and dominates the Peninsula, Hungry Hill (Cnoc Daod).

Bantry (Beanntraí), Cork Co., Ireland
2017, December

Baltimore Beacon eastern cliffs

A place where you run out of ground, yet you are still able to expand your horizons.

Baltimore Beacon, Skibbereen (An Sciobairín) Ireland
2017, December