Stunning image of the International Space Station over Sligo

We're used to seeing pictures of Ireland taken by astronaut Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station, but this time the tables (and lenses) were turned.

Photographer Damien Stenson braved the elements to capture this incredible shot of the ISS over Co. Sligo recently. The picture itself has been liked nearly 1,000 times on Facebook and it’s certainly one of the best pictures we’ve seen in awhile. But instead of going on about it, here’s what Damien himself has to say on Facebook:

“Hi everyone. Here is a picture of the International Space Station fresh from the memory card. Just home from a night of photography with my dad. This picture was taken two hours ago in south county Sligo.

“Had planned earlier today to grab this shot as I had calculated that the International space station would fly right over this scene. Luckily the weather stayed clear. Most of the light on the foreground is natural lights of cars passing buy and a local yard of a house, which is well illuminated.

“I used a very little amount of light painting to brighten up the boat. Happy also to report that this photograph didn't involve any surprise visits from the Garda Síochána (Police).

"The last night I was out, someone seen some suspicious activity (my 1600 lumen torch which looks like an airport runway) and called the Gardaí. Anyways, two squad cars came out to see what I was up two.

“Luckily I evaded the law tonight. Hope you like it, thanks for looking and feel free to share.”

It’s an absolutely amazing shot and if you want to see more like it check out Damien’s photography page on Facebook here. Give the page a ‘like’ while you’re there.