Most of the photos being shared around on social media during the ultra-hyped 2017 solar eclipse were taken by people on the ground looking up. But a certain ingenious photographer decided to get a closer look.
Strapping multiple GoPro cameras to the string of a high-altitude weather balloon, Andrew Smith captured footage of the eclipse from a whole new perspective.
A native of American Fork, Utah, Smith is one of the creative minds who designed and built robots for Glenn's 2013 "Man in the Moon" production in Salt Lake City. In keeping with the lunar theme, Smith's latest venture brought extraordinary images of the natural phenomenon back to earth.
Rising to more than 110,000 feet, Smith's cameras captured the moon's shadow over the earth at the point of totality.
Here, the eclipsed sun can be seen shining through the balloon.
Then, at 114,000 feet, the balloon burst.
Watch the entire balloon launch from start to finish in the video below.