An astrophotographer captured a stunning photo of a man falling against the sun (2 photos + 1 video)

An Arizona astrophotographer captured a skydiver jumping against the backdrop of the Sun. The image was dubbed "The Fall of Icarus."





Shooting a person jumping against the Sun sounds simple. But when you learn the details, the scale of the madness becomes clear. Andrew McCarthy, a renowned Arizona astrophotographer, along with his friend Gabriel Brown (a skydiver), captured a unique image. It took months of planning and six attempts.

The mechanics are as follows: Brown jumps from a small propeller-driven plane at an altitude of approximately 1,070 meters (3,500 ft), while McCarthy stands on the ground about 2,400 meters (8,500 ft) away with a set of telescopes.

They had to find the right location, time, plane, and distance for a clean shot. Account for the plane's glide without thrust to achieve the optimal angle relative to the sun and a safe exit altitude. Then align the shot using the plane's opposition effect and coordinate the precise moment of the jump via three-way radio.

McCarthy watched the live feed from his position in the desert and radioed Brown to tell him when to jump. The narrow field of view meant that aligning the plane with the sun took six passes before Brown could jump. They had one chance to jump—repacking the parachute would have taken too long for a second attempt.

The most challenging part was tracking the plane in the sky. Much more challenging than McCarthy expected, despite his extensive experience photographing the Sun.

After capturing the skydiver's transit, McCarthy created a high-resolution solar mosaic using a separate telescope, then combined the details for the final composite image.