The Fall of Icarus by astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy may look like a painting, or the result of some digital trickery, but it is in fact a real photograph. Framing the image of a falling silhouette with a high-definition image of the sun’s surface, the photo was a carefully orchestrated event that required extensive planning. The image actually depicts McCarthy’s friend, Gabriel Brown, mid-skydive.
“We had to find the right location, time, aircraft, and distance for the clearest shot; while factoring in the aircraft’s power-off glideslope for the optimal Sun angle and safe exit altitude,” Brown explained on Instagram. “Then we had to align the shot using the opposition effect from the aircraft and coordinate the exact moment of the jump on 3-way coms!”
Check out the video above, in which McCarthy documents the work that went into capturing The Fall of Icarus.
See also: AV at the Museum of Exploration
