On September 6, 2025, astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy captured an unprecedented image of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket transiting the Sun’s chromosphere. Taken from a Florida wildlife refuge eight miles west of Cape Canaveral, the photograph shows the rocket’s silhouette cutting through the Sun’s turbulent plasma in hydrogen-alpha light. This is believed to be the first image of its kind, revealing intricate details of the chromosphere, the dynamic, superheated layer just above the Sun’s surface, never before seen in such a context. Described the shot, McCarthy told PetaPixel, ‘a different perspective on space,’ blending science and art to inspire curiosity about the universe.
Technical Mastery and Precise Timing
Unlike traditional white-light solar images, which show a relatively flat solar disk, McCarthy’s hydrogen-alpha photograph captures fiery shockwaves in the Sun’s plasma, enhanced by light scattered and diffused through the rocket’s plume. To achieve this, McCarthy used a specially designed solar telescope and an astronomy camera, while also recording a secondary image in white light with a Canon R5 camera and solar filter. The launch in question was part of the Starlink 10-57 mission, marking the 27th flight of Booster 1069 carrying 28 satellites to low Earth orbit. McCarthy relied on careful coordination with fellow rocket photographers to calculate the precise position, timing, and angle needed to capture the rocket’s transit across the Sun.
Science Meets Art in a Unique Perspective
The resulting image is more than just a photograph; it is a rare intersection of science and artistry. The Falcon 9 appears as a crisp, black silhouette cutting across a vibrant, restless Sun, with the chromosphere’s molten plasma providing a dramatic, almost surreal backdrop. The hydrogen-alpha wavelength highlights the Sun’s turbulent features in a way white light cannot, making this capture a historic achievement in astrophotography and space observation. McCarthy’s photograph not only illustrates the technical prowess required for such a shot but also underscores the poetic convergence of human technology and the fiery grandeur of our nearest star, creating a visual record that may never be replicated.