Chris Hadfield has added published photographer to an already impressive list of credentials that includes engineer, astronaut and YouTube sensation. In his new book, You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes, he shares his personal snaps of planet Earth shot while living aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The book’s 150 stunning images are all new to the public (Hadfield’s 1.1 million Twitter saw plenty of others that he posted during his journey). Divided by continent, the book replicates an ISS orbit, with Hadfield providing illuminating commentary on geology, geography, and meteorology.
The Guardian has offered up a selection of some of the book’s greatest hits, alongside descriptions from the retired astronaut.
Photos, left to right:
1. The Detroit River bisects the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan (right) and Windsor, Ontario: “Two countries, one river,” says Hadfield.
2. Venice, Italy is the island suspended in the lagoon at the center of this photo.
3. “Undoubtedly one of the coolest space sights on Earth, the Richat Structure of Mauritania.” Also known as the Eye of the Sahara.
4. The Nile River draining into the Mediterranean. “The bright lights of Cairo announce the opening of the north-flowing river’s delta,” says Hadfield. “Israel is to the north-east. This 4,258 mile braid of human life is visible in a single glance from space.”
5. A view of the jagged edge of the Himalayas, the snowy peaks in stark contrast to the deep green of the foothills.
6. The town of Pereira Barreto, Brazil, about 400 miles north-west of São Paolo, where a hydoelectric dam was built in the 1990s. “rom this angle, the body of water looks like a millipede,” says Hadfield.
7. “On a clear day you can see forever,” says Hadfield. “Or at least from Havana to Washington DC…”