Economics student Adam Cudworth captured this amazing photograph 110,210 ft above the Earth — using a £30 camera off eBay and a balloon.

“A couple of years ago I came across photos that showed the ‘blackness’ of space and curvature of the Earth, to my amazement they had been taken using a similar setup to mine,” he said. “I set myself the challenge to do a similar project to capture even better photos.”

Adam drew on his A-level physics and the coding modules taken for his degree to engineer a device capable of surviving the stratospheric journey. He then had to find a GPS system which would work at extremes of height and temperature and a tracker to monitor the flight and retrieve the camera when it returned to Earth. Finally, Adam had to convince the Civil Aviation Authority to allow him to launch his device.

“After a few years in preparation, navigating the various regulations and a little trial and error, the £30 Canon A570 camera captured some fantastic photos,” he said.

Professor of Satellite Navigation Terry Moore said: “It is quite incredible what Adam has accomplished on such a small budget and on his own initiative — he is to be congratulated.

“We have been at the forefront of the development of GPS technology and applications for almost 30 years.

“The Nottingham Geospatial Institute would be happy to assist Adam with any similar challenges he wishes to pursue.”

Adam’s images are at: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBMSZzQ and a video can be seen at: youtu.be/PeE89FmNro8