Amazing photo of skydiver against the Sun goes viral

American astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has captured a stunning photograph of a skydiver in free fall directly against the blazing sun — an image already dubbed «The Fall of Icarus.»

McCarthy said he took the photo on Nov. 8 after «tremendous planning and technical precision.»

The image shows the silhouette of a man passing across the bright solar disk. McCarthy believes the photograph may be the first of its kind.

The skydiver was identified as YouTuber and musician Gabriel S. Brown, who jumped from a height of about 1,070 meters at a distance of 2.5 kilometers from the camera. McCarthy and his team captured the perfect shot after six attempts to align the plane precisely with the sun.

According to the photographer, the biggest challenge was not the jump itself but tracking the plane in the sky. Despite his extensive experience, McCarthy admitted that keeping the aircraft in focus was difficult. The team had only one chance to execute the jump, as repacking the parachute would have taken too long and the sun would have moved out of the ideal position for the shot.

McCarthy said the image is one of the best of his career. He has gained recognition for his photographs of the International Space Station crossing the solar disk and for his images of solar ejections.