- Andrew McCarthy captured a skydiver aligned with the Sun in a desert photo
- The photo, titled "The Fall of Icarus," was taken on McCarthy's first attempt
- Skydiver Gabriel Brown jumped from 3,500 feet near McCarthy's camera at 8,000 feet
A US-based photographer has clicked a jaw-dropping photograph of a falling skydiver, perfectly aligned with the fiery-hot surface of the Sun. Andrew McCarthy from Arizona clicked the picture on Saturday (Nov 8) in a desert while musician and skydiver Gabriel Brown jumped from a small propeller-powered craft at an altitude of around 3,500 feet (1,070 meters), around 8,000 feet (2,440 m) from McCarthy's camera.
As per McCarthy, the shot, dubbed "The Fall of Icarus," required an "absolutely preposterous" level of planning and "might be the first photo of its kind in existence".
"A surreal moment, captured despite the insane challenges. We call this photo “The Fall of Icarus”, and will have it available as a fine art print for a short time," wrote McCarthy, who managed the click the surreal photo in his first attempt.
As the picture went viral, social media users were in awe of McCarthy's composition, with many stating that he might bag a few awards for the photograph.
"This is why we need to keep supporting real human-made art. This is f***ing beautiful!" said one user while another added: "This has got to be the cover of something. Absolutely magnificent. So much hard work went into this! Congrats boys!!!"
A third commented: "I always wonder if you'll run out of ideas after having done so many amazing photos, and then you do something like this. Bravo."
A fourth said: "Insanely epic. You're pushing the boundaries of what astrophotography can be. I love it dude."
Check The Viral Pic Here:
ISS In Front Of Sun
This is not the first instance when McCarthy has gone viral for capturing such stunning images of the Sun. Earlier this year, he captured the International Space Station (ISS) passing in front of the Sun, creating a breathtaking composition. McCarthy said it was one of his favourite photos as it not only captured a transitioning ISS in front of the star but also the solar flare.
"While waiting for the ISS to transit the Sun, a sunspot group started flaring, leading to this once-in-a-lifetime shot," said McCarthy, adding that he named it the Kardashev Dreams.
The ISS orbits Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometres, meaning it was nowhere near to the Sun when the solar flare erupted. The space station orbits Earth once every 90 minutes or so, which means photographers can click a picture during this brief window if they are lucky.
