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Astrophotographer snaps skydiver falling in front of the sun

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471 points doener | 1 comments | 16 Nov 25 11:02 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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GMoromisato ◴[17 Nov 25 19:39 UTC] No.45957336[source]▶
This is a classic example of a simple idea that no one had ever done before. The execution was complex, of course, and Andrew McCarthy is one of the most skilled astrophotographers. But once you get the idea, a number of people could have done it--but no one ever did.

Makes you wonder what other similar ideas are out there! You can bet McCarthy is already thinking some.

p.s.: My brush with celebrity is that I saw an Andrew McCarthy post on Quora when he was first getting started with astrophotography and gave him a few tips. Always important to remember that everyone was a beginner at one point: https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-pro-tips-for-astrophotog...

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ChrisMarshallNY ◴[18 Nov 25 01:52 UTC] No.45960512[source]▶
> a number of people could have done it--but no one ever did

My personal definition of "genius," is someone who sees things from a different angle, and can express it in terms we can implement.

It's not doing well on IQ tests; It's that ability to think "outside the box," and, crucially, to express that vision in terms that us normies can use.

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Lio ◴[18 Nov 25 10:22 UTC] No.45963379[source]▶
I remember Damien Hirst's response to people saying that anyone could have created his "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living"[1].

He'd simply respond with "But you didn't, did you?".

I think that Hirst had a point.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Physical_Impossibility_of_...

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1. zdragnar ◴[18 Nov 25 15:53 UTC] No.45967896[source]▶
It's not like sharks haven't been preserved for display before, they just didn't call it art (barring counting taxidermy as an art form).

Then again, I'm also one of those people who thinks duct taping a banana to a wall is also not art.