Astronaut's stunning views of Earth

Canadian astronaut, Cmdr. Chris Hadfield has been orbiting Earth from the International Space Station since December, 2012. Earlier this month, he becomes the first Canadian commander of the ISS.

Hadfield has been tweeting extraordinary images of Earth taken from his uniquely high vantage point. Read on to see some of his most beautiful pictures.

In this photo, Sydney, Australia glowing green and lovely in the night

The Province of Syracuse at the very Southern tip of Sicily. A lovely view of Italy on the Festa del Papa.

Storm clouds standing tall in the atmosphere over Africa.

Adelaide, capital of South Australia, from space. The square of downtown parks really stands out.

Pacific cloud snuggling up to Mexican rock.

Mexico City, one of the largest metropolitan areas on Earth - housing roughly the same population as Australia.

Sunglint catches the irrigation canals of these Mexican farmers.

Monterrey, Mexico by night. The heights of the Cerro de la Silla give the city a breathtaking backdrop. From orbit you see water in a whole new light. Pacific swirl off a Mexican promontory

From orbit you see water in a whole new light. Pacific swirl off a Mexican promontory.

Rugged, wicked badlands of central Mexico.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 3 million people on the Red Sea. You can see the road that leads to Mecca.

Dawn sneaking in under the Northern Lights. When we turn our lights down, nature lights up the sky.

Christchurch, New Zealand, taken just after Earth Hour ended. The perfect grid system of the downtown core is clearly visible.

Baltimore, Maryland, bright and clear. The major landmarks of the city all shining up through the night.

San Francisco and the whole Bay Area. Taken at an angle, it is easy to see the entire layout of the bay by night.

Chicago, a bright spot on the tip of Lake Michigan, glowing through the clouds.

New York City, lit up like a bulb. The Statue of Liberty is clearly visible in the night from above.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the lights of the city piercing through the clouds.

Boston, Massachusetts. Everyone down there prepared to shine a little less brightly for an hour?

A gyre frozen into the ice, Newfoundland, Canada.

Richmond, capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A vital crossroads for so much American history.

The world-record tides of the Bay of Fundy sure do churn up the Annapolis Valley mud.

Las Vegas, with the Strip distinctly standing out from the rest of the city, even from orbit.

Washington, D.C., waiting for the green of Spring. Andrews Air Force Base visible at lower left.

Airport, beach, coral, sunshine. A little bit of Cayman paradise.

Finger Lakes, New York. Glaciers clawed them into the earth as they retreated during the last Ice Age.

Cape Breton. Every Canadian should walk the Cabot Trail. Rugged, beautiful bedrock of our country.

Germany, the Rhine from Bonn to Koln, spanning from the Cathedral to the European Astronaut Centre.

Koblenz, Germany, where the Mosel flows in to the Rhine. A key location, settled for over 2000 years.

Bonn, capital of pre-unification West Germany, neatly clear in the March snow along the dark waters of the Rhine.

The Nile and the Sinai, to Israel and beyond. One sweeping glance of human history.

Latakia (and Tartus), where Syria meets the Mediterranean. Serving as an important port city for thousands of years.

Shiraz, Iran - A city of culture and technology. The colorful roof choices complement the landscape well.

Baghdad, Iraq. Gigantic capital along the Tigris. Once the largest city on Earth, millions of us call this city home.

Homs, Syria. Currently enveloped in fighting - an uncertain future layered upon a storied past.

Paris sous le soleil. Les ombres de l'Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel sont a peine visible.

Venice, Italy - the red roofs and white docks of the famed island city are visible from orbit.

What is this little perfect round hole in Africa? Likely in Ethiopia near 7.99N, 37.19E.

Pretoria, South Africa, visibly between the Highveld and the Bushveld.

Intensive agriculture in a forbidding place, southern Africa. Like terraforming.

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