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Despite the sun being 93 million miles (150 million kilometres) away, one amateur astronomer hasn't let that stop him capturing incredible close ups - from his back garden.

Dutch stargazer Ivar Kooren used off the shelf equipment to capture a series of stunning images.

They include bursts of flames, known as prominences, flickering from the sun's surface that are only visible when the sun is most active.

Dutch amateur astronomer Ivar Kooren has captured incredible images of the sun (pictured) from his own back garden using off the shelf equipment. The images include bursts of flames - known as prominences - flickering from the suns surface

'The pictures are captured in my own backyard,' said Kooren.

'My backyard lays north so I can see pretty good to the east where the sun rises in the morning - the best time to capture these types of images.'

He admitted that the images are difficult to capture, so he used specialist techniques to produce the final versions.

Using what he terms an astrocamera, set to capture thousands of pictures in less than 30 seconds, and so-called H-alpha filters, Kooren is able to select the frames that are sharp.

He then stacks and overlays them using specialist software, producing one clear image.

Ivar said he has got the technique down to a fine art after three years of work.

'It takes a lot of practice to capture these pictures,' he said.

Seen here is a prominence extending from the sun's surface in one of Kooren's pictures. A solar prominence is a large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun's surface. A prominence forms over timescales of about a day, and the red-glowing looped material is plasma

This close-up of the sun shows how its surface is a constantly churning and changing place. 'My backyard lays north so I can see pretty good to the east where the sun rises in the morning - the best time to capture these types of images,' said Kooren

'There are lots of challenges such as the warmth of a summers day can ruin the capture by causing "vibrations" across the image.

'Even with the most expensive equipment it is still a challenge to take a decent picture.

'I see lots of people with the most expensive equipment, but they are still unable to capture a proper picture.

'You need lots of patience, and one has got to learn what there is to see on the sun itself, too.

'It has taken me a lot of practice, but to make a full image I now only need five minutes of clear sky.

'I shoot four images in total, two of which are of the sun's surface and two more of the prominence, before stacking these together to create on sharp image.'

But Ivar warns wannabe astronomers against staring at the sun without proper protection.

He said: 'You should only attempt these types of pictures when using proper solar scopes purchased from a specialist.'

Is it the sun, or bacteria? Kooren's specialist techniques allow him to get differing views of the sun. This picture shows, in detail, features on the sun including prominences into its atmosphere and features on its surface as it continues to churn and blast out heat and light