A stunning, otherworldly photograph is leaving people across the internet in awe. Called “The Fall of Icarus,” the viral image captures a skydiver seemingly plunging across the Sun’s blazing surface. The shot was taken by US-based photographer Andrew McCarthy in an Arizona desert on November 8, as musician and skydiver Gabriel Brown leapt from a small propeller aircraft at about 3,500 feet, roughly 8,000 feet away from McCarthy’s camera.
According to McCarthy, the photograph titled 'The Fall of Icarus' demanded an incredibly absurd amount of planning and 'could be the first of its kind ever taken'. As the image gained widespread attention, social media users were impressed by McCarthy's work, with several suggesting he could win some accolades for the photo.
"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.
"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," commented one user. Another added: "This has got to be the cover of something. Absolutely magnificent. So much hard work went into this! Congrats boys!!!" A third user wrote: "This is why we need to keep supporting real human-made art. This is f*ing beautiful!"**
This is not the first time McCarthy has gained attention for his remarkable images of the Sun. Earlier this year, he photographed the International Space Station (ISS) crossing in front of the Sun, resulting in a stunning composition. McCarthy mentioned it was one of his favorite photos because it captured both the ISS in transition across the star and a solar flare.
The International Space Station circles the Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers, indicating it was far from the Sun when the solar flare occurred. The stationcompletes a full circuit roughly every 90 minutes, giving photographers only a brief window for a shot.
