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Astrophotographer Captures Skydiver Silhouetted Against the Sun in 'The Fall of Icarus'

Meticulous hydrogen-alpha planning put the skydiver on target with sunspots.

Overview

  • Andrew McCarthy coordinated with skydiver Gabriel C. Brown and a paramotor pilot in Arizona to place Brown directly between his telescopes and the Sun.
  • The team executed six attempts before timing the jump to align Brown’s silhouette with visible sunspots.
  • McCarthy used hydrogen-alpha telescopes and compiled high-resolution frames into a single composite image.
  • Behind-the-scenes footage posted to Instagram and details on Reddit document the setup and support claims that the shot is real rather than AI-generated.
  • The image has gone viral across outlets such as Futurism, IFLScience, and Colossal, and limited-edition prints are available through McCarthy’s shop.