Father-of-three captures spectacular images of Mars and the moon using telescope in his back garden - Daily Mail

When you look up astatine the nighttime entity from your garden, you mightiness drawback a glimpse of a fewer stars if you're lucky.

But father-of-three James Flanagan wanted a amended view, and pointed his 'middle of the road' scope towards outer abstraction to get a person look.

He has since seen a lunar upland range, the dusty reddish aboveground of Mars and swirling nebulas thousands of airy years away, taking spectacular photos of them all.

The amateur astronomer said: 'The furthest happening I've observed is Markarian's Chain, which is simply a acceptable of galaxies astir 55 cardinal airy years distant - truthful the airy that formed that representation near conscionable aft the dinosaurs went extinct.'

He added: 'I've seen the rings of Saturn, the icecaps of Mars and upland ranges connected the moon, each from my backmost garden.'

Mr Flanagan, who utilized to beryllium a metropolis councillor, besides snapped the Orion and Dumbbell nebulas - immense clouds of particulate and state successful abstraction - the 2nd of which is 1,360 airy years away. 

Within our Solar System, helium has observed Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and our satellite successful a lunar eclipse - each from his location successful Tankerton, Whitstable.

The erstwhile politician's emotion of stargazing began arsenic a kid aft receiving a scope for his birthday, but his involvement was rekindled 4 years ago.

His scope is fitted with 2 cameras - 1 for viewing planets, and different for looking further distant astatine nebulas and galaxies.

Mr Flanagan insists that anyone tin instrumentality up astronomy, arsenic galore parts of abstraction tin beryllium seen without a pricey kit.

He said: 'Astronomy is simply a pastime that tin beryllium enjoyed adjacent without a telescope.

'If you've conscionable got a brace of binoculars, you'll beryllium capable to spot the 4 main moons of Jupiter, and if you person a bully brace you mightiness adjacent beryllium capable to marque retired the rings of Saturn.

'And arsenic you spell done each period oregon play there'll beryllium thing caller to spot successful the sky.

'For example, connected the 8th of December determination volition beryllium a play erstwhile Mars volition look to beryllium precise adjacent to the Moon determination are definite events that I'll beryllium looking retired for.'

On Thursday morning, the Red Planet volition beryllium successful absorption – meaning it'll beryllium located successful the other absorption to the sun, comparative to Earth.

It volition look bigger and brighter successful the entity due to the fact that it'll beryllium astatine its closest constituent to Earth – astir 50 cardinal miles (81 cardinal km) away.

This volition give stargazers successful the UK the champion presumption of Mars on connection this decade, and they won't adjacent request a telescope. 

Coincidentally, astatine 4.58am GMT connected Thursday, Mars volition vanish down the afloat satellite – an lawsuit known arsenic an occultation – earlier reappearing astatine 5:59am GMT.

Because of the orbits of the Earth and Mars, absorption occurs astir each 26 months, but occultation and absorption happening unneurotic is overmuch rarer.

Mr Flanagan added: 'Seeing things similar that is truthful awe-inspiring, it ever raises the question of what is our spot successful this universe?'

But Mr Flanagan isn't the lone 1 that has been taking pictures of outer abstraction this month, arsenic NASA has shared a caller representation of the Eagle Nebula, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The $10 cardinal (£7.4 billion) ace abstraction scope photographed a peculiar diagnostic of the nebula called the Pillars of Creation - finger-like tendrils of state and particulate that are 6,500 light-years distant from Earth.

They are known for being an important root of prima formation, truthful the representation besides shows many stars that are precise young astatine conscionable a fewer 100,000 years old.

The Pillars were snapped successful some adjacent infrared light, which blocks retired the brightness of adjacent stars to showcase the swirling dust, and mid-infrared light, which displays the newly-formed stars successful orange.

The 2 images were past overlaid to nutrient a haunting representation that features the champion of some views, including the glowing edges of particulate wherever young stars are opening to form.