Andrew McCarthy Captures Boeing 737 Transiting Sun After 1.7 Million Photos

Six days and 1.7 million photos later, astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy achieved his latest masterpiece: a Boeing 737 transiting the Sun. This stunning image, which McCarthy named "The Traveler", stands as a testament to the immense dedication required in high-precision astrophotography.

McCarthy shared that while he had previously captured many planes in front of the Sun by sheer chance, none of those earlier attempts met his rigorous standards. Those photos often suffered from soft focus, motion blur, awkward composition, and low resolution, as his primary intention was always to photograph the Sun itself, not the aircraft.

The challenge for this specific goal was considerable. Unlike celestial objects such as the International Space Station (ISS), whose flight paths can be precisely forecasted for planned captures, airplanes follow far less predictable routes. This meant McCarthy couldn't simply wait for the perfect moment; he had to create it through sheer persistence.

After almost giving up following six days without a good transit, a United Airlines Boeing 737 flying from Houston to Los Angeles finally transited the solar disk.

To overcome this unpredictability, McCarthy set up two telescopes, both meticulously aimed at the Sun. These setups were configured to capture an astonishing 10 photos per second, a rapid pace he maintained for six entire days, accumulating that staggering total of 1.7 million images.

His perseverance paid off when a United Airlines Boeing 737, on its route from Houston to Los Angeles, finally crossed the solar disk. McCarthy successfully caught the fleeting moment with both telescopes, enabling him to create a high-resolution photograph. He considers it "one of the best" of his career and even had the unique opportunity to show the final image to the actual flight crew who were onboard at the time.

As an unexpected bonus, McCarthy also captured two floating solar prominences. He described these formations as "fluffy bits floating separately from the Sun." One was a fleeting event, part of a small coronal mass ejection, while the other lingered visibly throughout the day.

Capturing these prominences is a rare occurrence for the astrophotographer, and even more exceptional was seeing two in a single session. These colossal plasma structures can stretch for hundreds of thousands of miles, a distance roughly equivalent to that between Earth and the Moon, adding another layer of awe to the already incredible airplane transit.

Last year, McCarthy had already garnered global attention with another meticulously planned shot: a skydiver falling in front of the Sun. His consistent work showcases a unique ability to blend astronomical science with an artistic vision.

Andrew McCarthy's extraordinary dedication highlights how blending advanced astronomical equipment with sheer perseverance can yield truly unique and breathtaking glimpses of our universe, revealing both planned and serendipitous wonders.