Space station pictured crossing sun from Guernsey

Image source, David Le Conte and Jean Dean

Image caption, David Le Conte took five photos of the space station which have been combined into a single image

A rare series of clear photos of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the face of the sun have been taken in the Channel Islands.

David Le Conte took the five images from an observatory in Guernsey on 10 June.

He managed to take the pictures in 1.3 seconds, as the space station crossed the middle of the sun.

The keen astronomer said: "I'm very pleased because it was a one-off opportunity, really."

More on space station photos and other Guernsey stories

The ISS is regularly visible at night as it crosses the sky, but it is rare for it to be seen during daylight.

Jean Dean processed the photos, and enlarged one that clearly shows the shape of the ISS.

Mr Le Conte explained: "You can see its solar panels and you can see the body of the space station. There are normally six astronauts on board it and at that time it was over 400 miles away travelling at a speed of 17,000 mph."

To take the photos, he attached solar filters to a telescope at the Astronomy Section of La Soci茅t茅 Guernesiaise in St Pierre-du-Bois