Nightskyhunter

Nightskyhunter My name is Martin McKenna, I'm an amateur astronomer, storm chaser and photographer in N. Ireland

Sunshine and showers during early Autumn on September 15th. I went out on the hunt for isolated single cell storms durin...
16/09/2026

Sunshine and showers during early Autumn on September 15th. I went out on the hunt for isolated single cell storms during the late morning however it was obvious something was wrong with the atmosphere in this part of the country restricting updraught heights.

However, I wasn't disappointed and got treated to a lovely selection of bows mixed with passing showers and wonderful sunshine which added a great natural contrast to the scenes. The slow movement of the showers meant the bows were visible for quite some time.

Here are a few drone images, first from Moyola Bridge area outside Maghera then outside Draperstown.

15/09/2026

Nice rainbows today from showers coming down the Sperrins passing over the Moyola River outside Maghera.

15/09/2026

Possibility of aurora kicking off, decent solar wind speed and Bz was trending south (for how long nobody knows), seems to be a CME arrival along with background solar wind stream. Clouds coming in on sat imagery though, maybe a few gaps now.

Came up on facebook memories. Big fire at car dismantlers (Higgins) outside Garvagh Sept 13th 2016. Got my first ever do...
14/09/2026

Came up on facebook memories. Big fire at car dismantlers (Higgins) outside Garvagh Sept 13th 2016. Got my first ever done - the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced - in the air for a look, also ground shots from DSLR. Big black smoke plumes and the constant sound of tyres exploding. The police asked for my footage at the time during their investigation. Unexpected event while heading to the coast for a shoot. Video footage below...

https://youtu.be/DYqeNAGULEE?si=-wrd8nzuJ9R15mhw

On this night two years ago I experienced a stunning G1 geomagnetic storm near Beaghmore. Over the fairy tree almost fil...
13/09/2026

On this night two years ago I experienced a stunning G1 geomagnetic storm near Beaghmore. Over the fairy tree almost filling the 15mm field of view with red pillars. It was a brief outburst but very photogenic, actually the best G1 I've ever got on camera.

I'm still lamenting the loss of this tree, it offered a lovely isolated and uncluttered foreground subject to work with night sky subjects. It has since been uprooted by a severe wind storm, I miss it greatly. Might do another post of images only featuring this fairy tree.

Using solar eclipse glasses I can see 4527 visible to the naked eye and suspected 4528 with averted vision. 1-2 naked ey...
11/09/2026

Using solar eclipse glasses I can see 4527 visible to the naked eye and suspected 4528 with averted vision. 1-2 naked eye sunspots on view today. (make sure to never look at sun without a filter or use projection!) Image: SOHO

Milky Way last night from Lough Fea while aurora hunting. 15mm wide angle vs 50mm, the latter within Aquila with bright ...
08/09/2026

Milky Way last night from Lough Fea while aurora hunting. 15mm wide angle vs 50mm, the latter within Aquila with bright star Altair.

08/09/2026

Good to see the first aurora of the season last night (Sept 7th/8th). Nothing special, just a green glow on camera with hints of red and faint beams, glow visible to the naked eye but it was an aurora all the same, better to come.

Good clear night at times, enjoyed shooting and observing the milky way, going over the entire sky and checking TCrB, windy and cool on exposed ground but great to be under the stars. Techincally my first night shoot of the season.

Big sunspots now on view over the earth facing eastern quadrant of the solar disk. Several of these getting geoeffective...
06/09/2026

Big sunspots now on view over the earth facing eastern quadrant of the solar disk. Several of these getting geoeffective soon as the days advance. 4524 has unleashed several CMES, maybe a small chance of a glancing blow Aug 8th. More CMEs likely this week. Fingers crossed for early season aurora action and clear skies.

Great to see The Dukes Of Hazzard back on television here in the UK on Legend (freeview). One of my favourite tv shows w...
05/09/2026

Great to see The Dukes Of Hazzard back on television here in the UK on Legend (freeview). One of my favourite tv shows when I was younger with 70s-80s action, cool country music, great country scenes with an orange Dodge Charger jumping over rivers. It's great fun, family orientated and very positive.

No cgi or ai nonsense, real stunts and real cars being jumped. Currently playing on tv every day and on rite now on Saturday morning as I type this.

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