Interplanetary images: Stunning photos of our solar system taken by an amateur astronomer in his back garden




From detailed solar flares to an amazing image of Jupiter and two of its moons, this tour of our solar system has been captured by an amateur British astronomer in his back garden.

Damian Peach, an electronic engineer from Selsey, West Sussex, has spent the last ten years documenting the changing face of our solar system.

Spending a relatively modest £10,000 on a high-speed telescope and electrical equipment, Mr Peach's crystal clear images are good enough to stand alongside those of Nasa and the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

Award-winning: This stunning image of Jupiter and its two orbiting moons Ganymede was taken by Damian Peach using a telescope in his garden in Selsey, West Sussex

Solar flare: Mr Peach spent a relatively modest £10,000 on a high-speed telescope and electrical equipment to capture crystal clear images such as this one

So much so that in 2010, he became the only Briton to win the prestigious Astronomy Photographer Of The Year Award for his composite photograph of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede and Io, orbiting the stormy surface of the gas giant.



Mr Peach said: 'It's just fantastic that it's possible to do something like this from your own back garden.

'This has been made possible by recent leaps in technology. These days surprisingly good results are possible with small telescopes and low cost webcams.

' The results possible for home astronomers now were not achievable until the 1990s by even the largest telescopes on Earth.

'The resolution possible with large amateur telescopes could now be considered of a professional quality in what the images reveal on the planets.'

Saturn: In 2010, Mr Peach became the only Briton to win the prestigious Astronomy Photographer Of The Year Award

Close-up craters: This incredibly detailed image shows the lunar craters Atlas and Hercules on Earth's moon

Mr Peach poses with his pride and joy in the back garden of his house in Selsey

Since becoming interested in astronomy a decade ago, Mr Peach now dedicates his free time to observing the planets.

He said: 'The planets have dynamic changing weather patterns much as Earth does, though in most cases on a far more dramatic and grand scale.

' With Jupiter, you are seeing a world of gas littered with storms of almost every shape and size. The clouds are in constant motion and changes are easily visible from day-to-day.

'The colours you see in the images are real, and very close to how the planets would appear could you go there and visit the them.'

Mr Peach's home kit includes a 356mm reflecting telescope manufactured by Celestron USA, with a high-speed video camera called a Flea3.

Having this relatively low-cost technology available to anyone means that a network of hobbyist astronomers across Britain are constantly observing the night sky and sharing their findings.

'I am part of a larger group of astronomers involved in longer term study,' Mr Peach said.

'Detailed reports of activity are produced by organisations such as the British Astronomical Association. Our observing programs and goals have been, and continue to be, very successful.'

Martian motion: This composite shot of Mars shows the Red Planet's rotation as it orbits past Earth



