The astronomical object that has the same angular diameter that of the sun is the moon. So the astronomical object he saw must be the moon itself.
We know that the moon is much smaller than the sun. But since the moon is very much closer to the earth, for a viewer from earth they appear to be of same size. Or they are said to have the same angular diameter.
(Angular diameter is the angle made by the 2 opposite sides of an object in the eyes of an observer)
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