India, July 1 -- A US photographer incredibly managed to capture the exact moment the International Space Station (ISS) passed in front of the Sun - right as a sunspot group flared up - creating a visually stunning and rare spectacle.

He shared the breathtaking images and a short video of the ISS transit on his Instagram, where the station appears to zoom past the Sun in a flash. No surprise he described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime shot."

Alongside the images, he wrote: "While waiting for the ISS to transit the sun, a sunspot group started flaring, leading to this once-in-a-lifetime shot. The most detailed solar transit photo I've ever done, and one I'm thrilled to release as a limited edition print for a short time. I'll have it availa...