Out of this world! Sun’s surface snapped from a garden in Dover
THESE breathtaking photos show the red hot sun in unbelievable detail... and they were taken by a retired lecturer from his garden.
Paul Andrew, 66, captured fire shooting from the mega-hot star and rippling flames cascading across its surface.
The astronomy enthusiast did it all from his home-made observatory in Dover, Kent, using his trusty Lund 152 telescope.
A vivid dark sun spot can be seen in one of the pictures.
These temporary areas of low temperature are just one of the reasons the surface of the sun is in constant flux. They can be as “cool” as 7,300F – the sun’s core tops 27million Fahrenheit at times.
Paul explained: “Unlike many astronomical objects, the sun is always changing and you never know what to expect from day to day.
“This makes solar imaging such a fascinating genre.”
Paul has also captured some incredible solar prominences – bright, gaseous flames firing out from the sun’s surface.
They can last for months at a time, often looping hundreds of thousands of miles out into space.
After retiring as a photography lecturer from the University of Kent, Paul decided to combine his artistic and astronomical passions. He invested in his precious kit, set up in his back garden and now spends
Only have eyes for you...Paul with Lund 152 telescope in his garden the summer photographing space in all its glory.
He said: “I use it as often as possible when it is sunny. However, I can’t so much in the winter months as the sun is very low in the sky and the seeing conditions can be quite poor.”
Paul said: “I just find it incredible that the images many amateurs are currently producing are far superior to those taken by the world’s largest telescopes only a few years ago.”
But he explained that taking pictures of the sun from this country does bring its own problems.
He said: “When imaging from the UK there is always an ongoing battle with poor and turbulent atmospheric conditions that degrade the finest detail on the sun.
“For much of the time it can be very frustrating. I never know what I am going to see.
“But when you get those brief moments of good steady seeing – and you successfully capture some fine detail – all the frustrations and your hard work becomes worth it.”