Cork photographer’s stone circle snap lights up the Smithsonian

The International Space Station flies high above Drombeg Stone Circle near Glandore in West Cork in this image captured by Cian O'Regan in March 2020. The image goes on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on March 23 for two years as part of a new exhibit on light pollution. Picture: Cian O'Regan

A Cork photographer's image of a west Cork stone circle has been chosen for a major exhibition about light pollution at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington DC.

A photograph of Drombeg Stone Circle near the village of Glandore in West Cork, taken by Cork photographer, Cian O’Regan, will go on display on March 23 at the Smithsonian — the most visited natural history museum in the world.

The photograph — captured on March 26, 2020 just hours before the first stay-at-home order was enforced during the first covid-19 lockdown — shows the International Space Station flying high above the ancient stone circle alongside the bright planet Venus and the recognisable constellation Orion the Hunter.

The image is one of 100 photographs featured as part of the Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky exhibit which runs at the Smithsonian from March 2023 until December 2025.

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"Early last year I received an email out of the blue from curators at the Smithsonian asking if they could use the image as part of an upcoming exhibition on light pollution," Mr O'Regan said.

"They told me they wanted to feature the image because it showcased the beauty of dark skies in rural areas while also showing off two objects that were built by humans 3,000 years apart (Drombeg Stone Circle and the International Space Station) in the same photo."

The photograph on display at the Smithsonian will measure 28x18 inches in size, with copies of the image also included in a traveling version of the Lights Out exhibit that will tour the United States.

"I’m really excited to finally share the news of the picture being included as I wasn't allowed to tell anyone beyond family and friends until the exhibit opened.

I’m delighted to get my picture on the walls of the Smithsonian, such an iconic institution known the world over.

"I think the only other two places with my photos on the walls are down in Blackrock Castle Observatory where I work as a PhD student, and the walls of my family home, so I’m really looking forward to heading to DC in June to see the image, along with the rest of the exhibit in-person for myself."

The new 4,340 sq ft exhibition will explore how the night sky — and its disappearance due to light pollution — affects all life on Earth, from natural ecosystems to human cultures.

For billions of years, life on Earth has danced to a cycle of sun and stars, day and night, light and dark. But light pollution from artificial lights has disrupted this pattern around the world, making nights brighter in ways that affect nature and people.

More than 80% of people worldwide now live under some degree of light-polluted skies. In North America, 80% of the continent's population cannot see the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky due to light pollution.

"Lights Out will give visitors the opportunity to learn what is at stake as the stars and cosmos fade from our view at night," said Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History.

"And we’ll also offer them the tools and resources they need to help rebuild and preserve the night sky in their own communities."

To commemorate the photo going on display at the Smithsonian, Mr O'Regan recently launched a limited edition print sale of the Drombeg shot on his website.

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