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Photos: Incredible views of Earth from the International Space Station

By Published: Mar 18, 2013 at 6:30 AM PDT Last Updated: Mar 18, 2013 at 1:44 PM PDT
Photos: Incredible views of Earth from the International Space Station
The Andes mountains blur to the horizon in a cold Pacific fog (Photo: Chris Hadfield/NASA)

There are plenty of places that you could argue have the best view on Earth. But as far as the best view above the Earth? Cmdr. Chris Hadfield has it, hands down.

Hadfield has been on the International Space Station since December and just last week became the first Canadian ever to command the station.

But in the social media circles, Hadfield might be best known for sharing his incredible office view with those of us still here on Planet Earth.

He's been taking several photos a day of interesting and amazing geographic features from his perch 230 miles high and posting them on his Twitter account @Cmdr_Hadfield and Posting to his Facebook page.

From towering, snow-capped volcanoes to intricate swirls off the the Italian coastlines, his gallery is a treasure trove of information about our home and showcases many planetary features that can't be appreciated the same way from the ground.

I'd strongly suggest giving him a follow and if you're in the education field, perhaps making this a weekly or monthly geography lesson to check the feed -- Hadfield is great about giving a little description what he's looking at:

In addition to the Earthly pics, Hadfield also occasionally provides a glimpse into life in space:

 

Thanks from down here for the great pics up there! I'll feature a few recent ones from time to time here in the blog.

P.S. Cmdr. Hadfield isn't the only one up there on ISS Tweeting pics. Also check out and follow Thomas Marshburn @AstroMarshburn.