Overview
- Andrew McCarthy photographed skydiver and musician Gabriel C. Brown transiting the solar disc, producing a silhouette over visible sunspots and plasma structure.
- The team executed the shot on November 8 in Arizona after multiple alignment attempts, coordinating the aircraft glide, exit timing, and telescope position over three‑way comms.
- Brown exited a small propeller aircraft at roughly 3,500 feet, with McCarthy positioned about 8,000 feet away to line up the narrow telescopic field of view.
- McCarthy shared photos and a behind‑the‑scenes video, stressing the image is photographic and not AI, with outlets echoing the verification in their coverage.
- The post drew millions of views on X with a “Nice shot” comment from Elon Musk, and McCarthy announced limited fine‑art prints of both the close‑up and full‑disc versions.