Man photographs religious figure in clouds behind total solar eclipse

A picture of the 2017 total solar eclipse which appears to show the figure of a man behind the sun and moon is sparking debate online.

Jeremy Nickens says he was watching the celestial spectacle in Silver Spring, Maryland, when he snapped a photo that seemed to depict an unexpected guest in the background.

Nickens shared the photo on his Instagram page, where it was eventually spotted and reposted by WTTG, a FOX affiliate station in Washington, D.C.

Social media users sounded off in the comment sections of both the original Instagram and WTTG repost as they tried to decide who the strange figure could possibly be.

"That is probably God," one user wrote.

"It's God. It's Heaven!" affirmed another.

"Looks like a #Budda nothing else!" decided a third.

"I love this being a Muslim maybe I'm Bias but I see a man making salat #alhamdulillah and seeing it with the crescent moon which is our symbol Islam it gave me goosebumps .." explained one woman. "This is so special and thank you for making everyone feel amazing with this photo god bless you."

While most users assumed that the figure was a religious representation, some went a little bit more secular with their guesses.

"It looks like a warrior standing behind the Eclipse," wrote one man.

"I can see a man kneeling ( down on a rock), leg extended behind him," remarked a second.

"Looks like a guy riding a horse," chimed in a third, before adding in, "maybe it's the LORD."

So, who do you think the man behind the moon is? Tell us in the comments below!