Martin McKenna has dedicated much of his life to astronomy, photography and storm chasing.
Martin McKenna epitomises what it means to be absorbed in one’s hobbies. His passion for astronomy and the sky has seen him travel far and wide to take photos and study in depth the airspace above us.
It all started when he noticed a comet when out one evening with a friend and from that point on he hasn’t looked back. Martin has dedicated much of his life to photographing the sky and some of the magnificent things which take place in it.
Here Martin goes into detail about that moment which first sparked his interest and how he has combined his talent for photography with his love of star gazing, storm chasing and comet hunting.
Tell us about your passion for the sky and how and when it begun?
My passion for the night sky began suddenly during the pre-dawn hours of a winter’s night back in 1997. I had met up an old school friend for a catch up, we drove out into the dark countryside near the town of Maghera in Northern Ireland where I was born. We were so engrossed in chatting about our lives and memories that we didn’t realise it was so late. We noticed it was a brillian’t dark starry night so we stepped outside of the car for a look at the stars. It was a frigid night with a harsh frost on the ground. We casually glanced to the east and that was when we got a shock.
We saw what we could only describe as some kind of apparition, we both could see this ‘thing’ perched in the sky among the stars, it looked like a bizarre fussy star with a large searchlight beam attached to it. At first we thought it was some magnificent light on a distant farm although there was nothing connecting it to the ground.
It was only after much admiration, shock and intrigue that we realised it was something to do with the night sky. Then my friend recalled the news on television earlier. What we were looking at was great comet Hale-Bopp which was the brightest comet for many years, a visitor from the remote outer edge of the solar system making a close passage past the Earth. The searchlight we had seen was actually the vivid dust tail of the comet, it made for a striking and somewhat imposing sight as it rose above the dark outline of the dark tree tops, it was a sight I shall never forget and which changed my life forever.
Martin pictured with his wife Roisin.
My obsession for the sky began soon after this sighting, in particlar my lifelong love for comets was triggered by this chance encounter. I borrowed a book from the local library and began learning my way around the night sky, in particular putting to memory the names of the constellations and bright stars. I then got my first telescope for Christmas and with it I made my first observations of planet Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the Moon. Two years later I upgraded to a 4.5″ reflector and began observing deep sky objects. I knew I was hooked when I spied globular cluster M13 and the mighty Andromeda Galaxy called M31, I immediately felt drawn to these distant faint objects, the challenge, the searching, and learning the rich treasures lurking unseen in the sky really appealed to me.
Over the years which followed I upgraded to bigger telescopes, the largest was a 16″ reflector, the tube was so big I could fit my entire body inside. With this serious instrument I observed faint galaxies and nebulae and began adding faint comets to my observing list which quickly became my main focus.
Recalling my first great comet sighting in 1997 I delved into the field of comets in a serious way. I began a comet searching programme of my own which involved systematically sweeping the sky all night long searching for that elusive new comet.
Comet hunting became my true passion, I would spent over ten years comet hunting and log over 1,300 hours at the eyepiece on this project alone. I observed many faint comets, and also found returning known comets without knowing their position at the time such as 2P Encke. I came close to discovering Ikeya-Zhang one Winter’s evening, I missed it by a couple of degrees, but two Japanese comet hunters found it on the same evening and it became a nice naked eye comet that March, with a nice tail not far from M31.
My observing became focused on transient phenomena such as meteor showers, fireballs, comets, Novae, variable stars, Aurora Borealis and, of course, Noctilucent Clouds and other interesting phenomena such as the Zodiaical Light and Gegenschein. I also enjoyed pushing the naked eye to the limit by spotting faint objects such as M81. These phenomena continue to play a large role in my life today.
Martin’s photography can be viewed at www.nightskyhunter.com.
Tell us about that first telescope and how exciting was it to suddenly be able to connect so much more intensively with what you were interested in?
I got my very first telescope for Christmas during 1996. I will never forget my surprise when on Christmas morning I found it behind the curtain hidden behind the television set and wrapped in beautiful paper. Of course, it was 5am or 6am in the morning, I had never slept that night in anticipation of what Santa Claus might have delivered.
That first telescope was a refracting telescope with an aperture of 2″, it had gleaming white tube and was gorgeous. Of course, it was not a very serious scope and had many flaws however to me it was perfect at the time. I learned about eyepieces and Barlow lenses. With it I saw the rings of Saturn, Jupiter’s moons, impact craters on the Moon, Hale-Bopp was still visible then so I got to see the comet’s fuzzy coma. This telescope sowed the seed of my life to come and little did I know back then what an important role telescopes would play in my life in later years. I don’t have that scope anymore but I can still see it in my min’s eye, and believe it or not I can still recall the scent of the wooden tripod and metal tube. I spent as much time looking at it as through it.
Aurora, comets, NLCs and drones are Martin’s true passions in life.
Where are you based and how does this affect your hobbies?
I am based in Northern Ireland, currently in Cookstown in Co. Tyrone. This location is actually ideal for my interest in astronomy. Situated not far from the Sperrins I can be in a dark location in less than 30 minutes. In fact, a new astronomical attraction in this area called OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory has just been built and is inspiring many people to look up at the stars. From this area I can observe faint galaxies and comets, the area is also good for storm chasing and snow storms during the winter period. If I drive for one and a half hours I can reach the north coast where I can enjoy storms over the Atlantic Ocean and have an excellent view of the Aurora. To my west is Co. Donegal, to my SW Co. Fermanagh and Co. Sligo, both are very scenic with dark skies, so you could say I’m very lucky to live in a country with so much to offer depending on my mood.
Martin takes an interest in all aspects of change and excitement in the sky.
What does storm chasing involve and what are some of your experiences of that pursuit?
Storm chasing involves learning how to forecast convective storms, anticipating target areas where storms might fire based on model guidance then evolving from forecasting to nowcasting, using sat imagery and radar to find growing cells and to position one self in a strategic position to observe or photograph the storm’s most striking aspect, hopefully from a photogenic location, that’s the theory anyway.
In truth this all year long passion presents an emotional rollercoaster ride of let-downs and frustration at one end and unbelievable thrills and life changing experiences at the other end of the scale. I love the forecasting, the country drives into uncharted territory and the excitement of not knowing what you are going to see over the next few hours. There’s nothing like standing out under a hot Summer sun in a t-shirt watching Towering Cumulus boil with the prospect of something unseen about to reveal itself. It really is a true elemental adventure.
I enjoy all aspects of storms, however I’m more of a cloud structure person so this is my main goal. Over the years certain things stand out in my mind, my first funnel in 2007 which was like a scene from Tornado Alley, the off-shore supercell lightning near Sligo, the Toome tornado, the recent Lough Foyle supercell which had very clear Mesocyclone structure, some of the night time lightning displays from Spanish Plume event, and severe storms which caused major flooding, including wiping a stone bridge off the map.
I would never forgive myself if I didn’t mention the severe Winter of 2010, the best ice and snow scenes I’ve ever seen, Lough Neagh our largest Lough (largest in Europe) froze over twice, I watched an 80-year-old man walk across its frozen surface.
Then the phenomenal Glenshane blizzard during March which buried cars and buses on that famous mountain route. Imagine 70mph snow blowing like a constant white dense wall all night long with freezing temps fuelled by a Polar low, the next day there were 25ft drifts and the road was buried, many were trapped for the night.
It was in 1997 that Martin first realised his true passion for the sky,
What other adventures have your passions and hobbies taken you on?
My passions have opened up many doorways for me over the years, from meeting interesting people and fellow chasers and photographers to developing a profound love for the outdoors, a place where adventure is always waiting. Storms and snow and hunting for the Aurora or interesting foreground for my photography have led me to places and forged memories that I would never have experienced if I had a more conventional life style. For instance, standing at an ancient Irish Castle looking across the vast ocean as the Aurora dances across the sky reflecting green and red on the old stones turrets. Or shooting the stars from the 50 million year old rocks which form the famous Giant’s Causeway or volcanic sea stacks with the Milky Way aloft. When at these famous locations during all hours of the night one feels an intimate connection with the location and the sky, it’s like time has no meaning any more and I’m truly living in the moment, this sense of flow and belonging is how I know I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing in life.
My hobbies have also introduced me to aerial photography in the form of drones. I never saw this coming but when it happened it changed my life in such a positive way. Not only could I obtain new views of weather phenomena but I can enjoy scenic locations from an entirely new perspective. In particular I love flying over our coastline with its scenic beaches and amazing ocean. I also enjoy filming shipping vessels which visit this part of the world, I think this is another aspect of the chaser in me, it’s the thrill of the hunt, this is why I called my website Nightskyhunter so many years ago.
Martin is active on social media and also has a YouTube channel.
How can our readers connect with you and follow what you’re doing and taking photos of?
My website www.nightskyhunter.com is the source of my main work, the site showcases galleries and chase reports of all my adventures and offers a more substantial history of what I do.
I’m also on Facebook and Twitter, you can watch my chase videos and drone videos on my youtube channel too – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCumWpaGZKqINvSYiC9EUb-g?view_as=subscriber.
