Andrew McCarthy’s Rocket-Solar Masterpiece Captures Seemingly Frozen SpaceX Falcon 9

Photograph credit score: Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy stands in a Florida wildlife refuge, eight miles from a SpaceX launchpad, gazing out on the horizon. His cameras are arrange on a gravel street, able to seize one thing by no means seen earlier than: a rocket going by the Solar’s chromosphere, its plasma plume rippling throughout the floor of the star. On September 6, 2025, he turns into the primary photographer to freeze a Falcon 9 in entrance of the Solar’s hydrogen-alpha flare.

Photo voltaic images, particularly in hydrogen-alpha, requires precision gear and a deep understanding of the Solar’s loopy nature. In contrast to customary white gentle pictures which present a flat, featureless photo voltaic disk, hydrogen-alpha imaging reveals the chromosphere’s swirling plasma and magnetic storms. McCarthy used a specialised photo voltaic telescope and astronomy digicam to see into the Solar’s center layer. The result’s an orange canvas, alive with texture, with a darkish silhouette of a rocket climbing into orbit.

McCarthy relied on different rocket-chasers to assist him discover his spot within the wildlife refuge west of Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9, with 28 Starlink satellites, would launch at a selected time, its trajectory would align with the Solar for a short second. Timing was the whole lot – too early or too late and the shot can be misplaced. His astronomy digicam, synced to seize the transit, recorded the rocket’s ascent as its plume despatched shockwaves by the chromosphere’s gentle, scattering it in lovely patterns.

Earlier in 2025 he misplaced a lens to the corrosive plume of an Atlas V rocket whereas capturing from a restricted zone close to a launchpad. That taught him the dangers of proximity, however for this shot distance and precision have been his mates. His Canon R5, with a photo voltaic filter and telephoto lens, captured a secondary picture in white gentle however it pales compared to the hydrogen-alpha shot. The Canon picture is good however lacks the chromosphere’s element – a reminder why his specialised setup was needed.

His “Defeating Gravity” print is obtainable at cosmicbackground.io in 11×14 and 50×62.5 inch codecs, printed on archival Hahnemühle Photorag Giclée and C-type Fuji paper. A signed Certificates of Authenticity can also be included, as is a numbered set of 5 huge acrylic prints.
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