Andrew McCarthy: Astrophotography Prints

Andrew McCarthy in a red polo shirt standing beside a large blue telescope in a back garden — Andrew McCarthy. Photo courtesy of the artist, via CosmicBackground. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration.

Last updated: 26 October 2026

Andrew McCarthy is the US astrophotographer behind The Fall of Icarus, a skydiver caught in silhouette against the Sun. Here you will find our take on his work, how that shot was made, and the signed prints you can buy from £69.

Our take on Andrew McCarthy

McCarthy started in summer 2017, ahead of a total solar eclipse, and now photographs the sky full time. “I realized that while I lived my day to day life, there was a whole universe out there I was completely ignoring,” he writes on his own blog. His method is “lucky imaging”: shooting thousands of frames and stacking the sharpest.

The Fall of Icarus (2025) took that further. In November 2025, on a dry lakebed near Willcox, Arizona, skydiver Gabriel C. Brown jumped from a paramotor as it crossed the Sun. It took six passes to line him up with the sunspots, according to Smithsonian.

He sells his work direct, in signed editions, and says he is “completely funded by those who enjoy my images”. The smallest Icarus print is £69.

Andrew McCarthy: the essentials

Full-time astrophotographer and founder of Cosmic Background Photography, according to The Planetary Society.
Left a career in sales and marketing technology to photograph the sky full time.
Uses “lucky imaging”: thousands of frames stacked in software. One 2021 image of the Sun was built from 100,000 photographs.
Sells signed, editioned prints through his own shop, CosmicBackground.
Not to be confused with the actor of the same name.

Andrew McCarthy exhibitions

We found no exhibitions. McCarthy sells direct and has no gallery.

Where to buy an Andrew McCarthy print

CosmicBackground sells from the US, priced in pounds for UK buyers. Import charges are not stated:

The Fall of Icarus, from £69: Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 11 x 14 in (28 x 35.5 cm), edition of 445, with a signed certificate; £141 framed; £156 at 24 x 30 in (61 x 76.2 cm), from CosmicBackground. See our Fall of Icarus page.
The Fall of Icarus, large format, £875: 50 x 62.5 in (127 x 158.8 cm), edition of 25.
GigaMoon poster, £39: a rolled poster, not a fine art print, 18 x 24 in (45.7 x 61 cm), from CosmicBackground.

Andrew McCarthy prints and editions on CoolCuration

Andrew James McCarthy The Fall of Icarus print showing a tiny skydiver silhouette falling in front of the Sun’s fiery surface.

The Fall of Icarus Print by Andrew McCarthy – from £69

Andrew McCarthy FAQs

How was The Fall of Icarus made?

Skydiver Gabriel C. Brown jumped from a paramotor as it crossed the Sun over Willcox, Arizona, in November 2025. It took six passes to line him up.

Can I buy The Fall of Icarus print?

Yes. CosmicBackground sells it from £69 for an 11 x 14 in print in an edition of 445.

Is this Andrew McCarthy the actor?

No. This is the astrophotographer behind CosmicBackground.

How does Andrew McCarthy photograph the Moon and Sun?

With “lucky imaging”: he shoots thousands of frames and stacks the sharpest in software.

Andrew McCarthy