New Delhi, Nov. 15 -- Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has pulled off a cosmic illusion that makes it look as though a skydiver is falling past the Sun. The surreal scene - which resembles a sci-fi film - was captured by the Arizona-based photographer, renowned for his dramatic solar imagery.

On Saturday November 8, at around 9 am MST (11 am EST), McCarthy managed to frame a falling skydiver perfectly against the Sun's fiery disc. He later revealed that the shot - which he fittingly titled "The Fall of Icarus" - demanded an "absolutely preposterous" amount of planning and, in his words, "might be the first photo of its kind in existence."

The skydiver in the frame is YouTuber and musician Gabriel C. Brown, who leapt from a small propel...