A 15-year-old youngster used a telescope in his backyard to snap an image of Saturn that many experienced astronomers would be proud of.

Marcus Reed of Seaford, East Sussex, used a 102mm diameter reflector telescope to acquire a crisp view of the gas giant, complete with its spectacular rings.

The student said that he remained up until 4 a.m., using an iPhone app called Sky Guide to locate the planet in the sky.

Reed said:

‘I was pleasantly surprised when I looked back and saw I had such a clear picture – Saturn is my favourite planet. The amount of positive feedback I received surprised me massively. I have been interested in astronomy and photography for a long time, and I really enjoy it – I use my telescope every night when it’s clear. I’m in the air cadets – when I'm older I'd like to join the raff then become a commercial pilot, but after that I aspire to join the European space agency as an astronaut,’.