A keen star gazer from California managed to capture an incredible photo of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the face of the Sun using telescopes in his back garden.
Andrew McCarthy, who goes by the handle 'cosmic_background' on Instagram, explores the universe 'from a backyard in Sacramento.'
The photographer regularly shares images of the incredible sights he captures on camera, showing everything from the sun and moon to meteor showers and planets.
This week, McCarthy was able to snap the moment the ISS crossed the sun, with the space station appearing miniscule against the huge, orange background.
McCarthy said the scene was visible for less than a second, when the sun, the ISS and his back garden were all aligned. He managed to capture the unique shot by using two telescopes simultaneously, 'one with a white light filter for ISS details and one with a hydrogen-alpha solar telescope for surface details.'
The photographer then blended the images together to form a 'crisp, detailed snapshot of the transit.' McCarthy's pictures include a close-up version of the space station against the sun, plus footage of how the scene looked in real time.
In one image, he also inverted and enhanced contrast on the ISS's silhouette in order to shine a spotlight on the orientation and details visible on the space station.
@cosmic_background/InstagramMcCarthy shared the images on Reddit and Instagram, where he quickly racked up thousands of likes and comments from impressed users. One joked that the space station looked more like Star Wars' 'imperial fighter' craft, while another questioned whether the 'sun' in the photo was actually an orange, but mostly people commended McCarthy for his work
.webp)
