Award winning Offaly photographer captures stunning image of solar eclipse

AWARD winning Offaly photographer Tom O'Hanlon has taken a stunning photograph of the partial solar eclipse which took place last Tuesday.

Tom, originally from Rahan, captured the image from his home in Kilclonfert, near Daingean.

In a tweet, Tom admitted he almost forgot about the eclipse and rushed out to capture the image.

The photographer has a huge interest in astronomy and takes many of his night sky photographs from Lough Boora Discovery Park.

Last year Tom was runner-up in in the inaugural ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition.

His image, “North Star Jesuit House”, was a series of tacked images, taking in The North Star, which demonstrates the Earth’s rotation, captured at Tullybeg House, the former Jesuit boarding school in Rahan.

The image was selected as a runner-up by an expert judging panel following a rigorous judging process of over 180 entries.

In addition to his success with this image, one of the Rahan native's other entries ‘Skytrain Lough Boora’ was also selected to feature in an exhibition of the judges’ 20 top-rated images.