Science & Tech

Somebody Went Skydiving During the Eclipse for the View of a Lifetime

by Matthew Hart
Aug 22 2017 • 6:30 AM

If you were lucky enough to catch the total solar eclipse on Monday morning, then you probably had a nice view of the action from an observatory, your driveway, or some other location here on good ol’ terra firma. WIRED’s social media manager Natalie DiBlasio, on the other hand, traveled more than 10,000 feet up into the air via helicopter and tandem jumped out with a trained skydiver to capture the moment from the sky. And the results are, like most of the other eclipse photos, quite stunning. (Although it was probably even more incredible for DiBlasio, who must’ve been decently high off adrenaline.)

WIRED says that they sent DiBlasio to cover the eclipse while skydiving, presumably for the views, as well as the views. The mission was definitely a success, with the footage capturing the total solar eclipse’s moment of totality–the point at which the Moon fully blocks the disc of the Sun, leaving only the solar corona, or the aura of plasma that reaches out millions of kilometers into space.During the roughly eight-minute video, we watch as DiBlasio and the professional skydiver leap in tandem out of the helicopter, free-fall for some time, then open up the parachute and cruise for a good long while with the sun off in the distance. At around five minutes into the video, we get that beautiful money shot where the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, leaving behind a “diamond ring,” or the sliver of sunlight not blocked out by the moon.

It’s definitely not the craziest skydive we’ve ever seen (that award would without a doubt go to the guy who literally jumped and landed without a parachute), but one of the most beautiful? Quite possibly. Maybe when the next total solar eclipse rolls around in 2024, we should all find some place not on Earth to watch—like in a rocket headed to Mars.

What do you think about this total solar eclipse skydive? Do you think the view from 10,000 feet up is better than the one on the ground, or is that just the adrenaline talking? Let us know your thoughts below!

Images: Instagram/Natalie DiBlasio