A massive solar tornado, big enough to swallow the Earth, was observed twirling across the surface of the "quiet" sun last week.

Using a telescope made from second hand parts, including part of an old wooden couch, David Wilson captured the dramatic solar event on May 7, from his backyard observatory in Inverness, Scotland.

He told Newsweek : "No need to spend tens of thousands of euros for solar astronomy."

Wilson's footage shows plasma swirling around the surface of the sun like debris from a tornado, reminiscing the motion of what on Earth is a common whirlwind.

Last week, Spaceweather.com reported that solar activity had been low all week long, with a "persistent quiet causing the sun's X-ray output to flatline".

However, the website also explained that "quiet" on the sun is rel

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