Famous astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has published a new, breathtaking image. The shot is framed in such a way that it looks as if we are seeing a person falling onto the Sun.
In reality, the photo shows a skydiver flying against the backdrop of the sun. Preparing for this shot took a lot of time and careful coordination. The man against the backdrop of the Sun is pilot and skydiver Gabriel Brown. He jumped out of a motorized paraglider at a precisely specified distance and altitude so that McCarthy could capture his flight.
The image was taken through a solar telescope at the H-alpha wavelength (656.28 nm). Astronomers use it to study the solar chromosphere and active regions. Thanks to this, we can see many details of our star’s surface, as well as sunspots.
The moment of the jump, captured in hydrogen alpha light to resolve the sun’s atmosphere.
— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) November 13, 2025
We decided to release the photo in print- both as an up close shot and showing the full disc of the sun, which you can see here: https://t.co/K4DovGV4ni pic.twitter.com/hYHg7rZXdK
This is far from the first incredibly spectacular image McCarthy has captured using a solar telescope. Previously, he managed to capture the flight of a Falcon 9 rocket against the backdrop of the Sun, as well as the transit of the ISS, which coincided with a solar flare.
