He was looking for the latest phase of solar activity. What he got was a surprise from something a little closer to Earth.

Training his camera skyward, amateur astronomer Andrew Devey was focussing intently on the Sun when a passenger jet flashed right across his view.

The result is a stunning "photobomb" as the silhouette of the plane and its contrails pass over the solar surface.

His spectacular pictures are now being viewed by millions of space fans around the globe who regularly log on to the world famous website The Solar Explorer.