Photo: iStockphoto
An astrophotographer has released what he claims is his 'clearest ever photo of the sun.'
Andrew McCarthy layered 150,000 individual pictures of the sun to portray the stunning detail of the largest star in our solar system.
The resulting photo is a huge 300-megapixel image which is 30 times bigger than a standard image.
Swirls and feather-type patterns can be seen alongside dark sunspots when viewed up close.
The process is challenging and requires a specialist telescope with two filters to prevent a fire and the photographer from going blind.
"It isn't until I am done processing an image that I actually see what it really looks like, and this was a very special one," said McCarthy.
"I always get excited about photographing the sun, it is really interesting because it is always different."