A Mayo astro-photographer has been chosen for the next stage of the prestigious ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). A photograph taken by Shane Lavelle from Castlebar has been shortlisted in the ‘Out of this World’ category in the competition, which aims to find the best astro-photographs taken in Ireland over the past year.

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

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

 Over 160 images were submitted to the competition in total this year, with 40 selected for the shortlist and public vote.

 DIAS’s ‘Reach for the Stars’ competition is being run in partnership with The Irish Times and is sponsored by Alice PR & Events. The Irish Astronomical Society are supporters.

 Further information, including the online gallery and background information on the competition, is available at https://reachforthestars.ie/exhibition/ .