French Astronaut Thomas Pesquet's Amazing Photos from Space (Gallery)

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet brought these wedding rings along for his six-month stay at the International Space Station.

Two Russian Soyuz spacecraft fly over Earth’s city lights with star trails overhead in this long-exposure photo taken from the International Space Station. Relative to Earth’s surface, the space station travels at about 17,500 miles per hour (28,200 km/h). These two Soyuz spacecraft, which are docked at Russia’s Poisk and Rassvet modules, delivered the current crew of six to the space station. One will return to Earth next month with NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes a moment to pose during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in January 2017.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured this view of Mount Etna erupting (bottom left of image) on March 19, 2017 from the International Space Station.

Space station astronaut Thomas Pesquet received a saxophone surprise for his birthday. It arrived on the SpaceX Dragon on Feb. 23 and was hidden by Pesquet’s crewmates until his birthday on Feb. 27.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet took this photo of Dublin, Ireland from the International Space Station on Jan. 24, 2017.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency saw the northern lights from the International Space Station for the first time on Jan. 18, 2017 and snapped this photo of the light show with space station’s solar panels visible in the foreground. Auroras occur when radiation from the sun hits our atmosphere. “It is literally a visual representation of the Earth’s magnetic field protecting all living beings from space radiation,” Pesquet wrote on Flickr.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who celebrated his 39th birthday at the International Space Station on Feb. 27, chows down on some French macarons that arrived on SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft on Feb. 23.

“Winter landscapes are also magical from the International Space Station,” French astronaut Thomas Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo of the Dnieper River on social media. “This river north of Kiev reminds me of a Hokusai painting.” Pesquet took the photo as the space station flew over Russia on Feb. 9, 2017.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured these snow clouds over the Alps from the International Space Station in February 2017.

The International Space Station houses many cameras the astronauts can use to capture the fantastic views offered by the post. For still images, astronauts use the Nikon D4s with several options of lenses — 8mm and 800mm with an x1.4 teleconverter, for example.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet snaps his first space selfie during his first spacewalk.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s feet dangle in space about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth.

A Soyuz and a Progress spacecraft docked at the ISS are seen above Paris, France in this night shot taken by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet on Dec. 1, 2016.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet tested fluid dynamics in orbit in a newly released video from the International Space Station.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured an image of the “eye of Africa,” Mauritania in the Sahara desert. At close to 31 miles (50 kilometers), astronauts have long used this site as a land mark.

Pesquet captured this photo of dunes in the Sahara Desert on Dec. 6, 2016.

“This one is very special to me: it’s a great feeling to see from space where one grew up!” Pesquet wrote when he tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on Jan. 15, 2017.

On December 16, 2016, ESA’s Thomas Pesquet, a member of Expedition 50-51 on the International Space Station until April 20, 2017, captured this image of some very repetitious sand dunes. Not a place to lose your way!

This is what an active volcano looks like… from space!

The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef structure on Earth, is seen from space.

This surreal shot is a zoomed-in view of the Great Barrier Reef.

Beautiful sunsets in the vastness of space are a bit different with no landscapes. In answer to a challenge, astronaut Thomas Pesquet used the Canadian robotic arm for a posed sunset photo taken on December 6, 2016.


Space photographer and ISS astronaut Thomas Pesquet snapped this photo of the cameras in the Russian segment of the space station.

December 9, 2016, the ISS gets a different view. Given 70 percent of Earth is water, flight over desert is a nice change.

ESA’s Thomas Pesquet imaged Lisboa, a beautiful coastal city on December 17, 2016.

Houston, Texas shines on December 6, 2016. The home to NASA-JSC will see the Expedition 51 astronauts in April 2017.

An admittedly blurry image of Paris, this still of the City of Light highlights the beauty of this city in a December 5, 2016 shot by Pesquet.

The island of Guadeloupe offers a unique shape from above — butterfly wings invited explorers to experience new adventures in this December 10, 2016 photo.

The southern Sun shines brightly upon Olympique de Marseille —a football stadium — an ancient port and the “calanques” or creeks of Marseille. A unique sight indeed snapped by Pesquet on December 23, 2016.

At night, the lights in the southern portion of France glimmer and even the Earth’s atmosphere glows in a halo. ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet took the image December 10, 2016.

The “Mouth of France,” the estuary of the Gironde in Nouvelle-Aquitaine welcomes the ISS in the sky above on December 10, 2016.

The Sahara Desert offers up an orange background to the very white graffiti-like cloud formations on December 10, 2016.

This view of the Andes on December 3, 2016, contains a variety of colors to see: browns, grays and reds.

More colors are added to the palette of the Andes with blacks, blues, greens and oranges in this December 3, 2016 image.

What seem to be great brush strokes across this vast desert brings to mind meticulous artistic touches in this December 12, 2016 image by Pesquet.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet reminisces about time in the beautiful city of Madrid and how he spent New Year’s Eve on Puerta del Sol.

From the perspective of the International Space Station, ESA’s Thomas Pesquet captured a unique view — a single image encompassing all the Alps, taken on December 22, 2016.

The solar arrays for the ISS almost mask the moon, once a destination for men, and soon to be again.

Electricity on Earth are not the only source of light. When the moon is up, its light reflects across snow, and with the city lights provides a stunning image of Torino, Milano and Lyon.

On December 4, 2016, ESA’s Thomas Pesquet captured this mystical image of the Caribbean. Such deep blues shine from Turks and Caicos.

One of the first locations on Earth to enter 2017, New Caledonia is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet snapped this photo December 18, 2016.

Christmas in Australia offers sunny beaches, not dreams of snow. As is common with images from the ISS, this December 21, 2016 image of Australia brings to mind microorganisms under a microscope.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is currently aboard the International Space Station, captured some clouds peeking out from the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. “The tropopause usually limits the vertical extension of clouds … except for the most massive and daring ones,” Pesquet tweeted.

This December 18, 2016 image of Earth’s Northern hemisphere shows off the occasional occurrence of snow and accumulation of white clouds, reminiscent of a snow globe.

Two countries converge: Argentina meets Uruguay at Buenos Aires and el Rio de la Plata, respectively.

The terminator, not the movie but the line between day and night, seen here on December 10, 2016. The astronauts on the ISS cross it as many as 16 times in a day.

An early morning shot on December 10, 2016 of colorful mountains, a favorite scene to ESA’s Thomas Pesquet.

Australia’s outback looks like a post-apocalyptic landscape on December 16, 2016.

The Australian outback offers stunning landscapes in deeps reds, blacks, greens and blues.

This image of Australia’s outback evokes feelings of a microbe being examined through a microscope.

Taken on December 3, 2016, Solar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, glows white against the Andes in southwest Bolivia where it is located.

A cold but beautiful frozen lake. ESA’s Thomas Pesquet captured this lovely image on December 11, 2016.

This December 12, 2016 image of the Gulf of Aqaba takes a surreal look with land and sea seemingly melting into one.

Clouds drift to the north of Egypt and the Sinai desert in this December 12, 2016 image snapped by Thomas Pesquet on the International Space Station.

Snow atop the Alps seems to expand toward the sea South of Gap, a commune in southeastern France.

ESA’s Thomas Pesquet photographs Québec on December 16, 2016 as he recalls his time there with fondness.

Italy offers much both from space and on Earth. Pesquet enjoys snapping images of the ancient country and also has southern Italy on his list of vacations to experience.

Africa, shown here December 9, 2016, offers many diverse aspects and marvels. Thomas Pesquet doubts he’ll be able to capture them all in his 6 month stay on the International Space Station.

December 9, 2016, Namibia’s sandy reaches appear to become part of the Atlantic ocean.

ESA’s Thomas Pesquet framed a stellar scene including the Nile river that was unexpectedly interrupted when Soyuz photobombed it.

On December 5, 2016, astronaut Thomas Pesquet offered a challenge: name this (very) geometrical city. He followed with a clue: not in America, North or South. Can YOU name it?

Monterrey gives the impression of being nestled between large pleats of the encompassing landscape in this December 6, 2016 image taken by ESA’s Thomas Pesquet with the Nikon D4 using a 400mm lens.

Vivid reflections in the ISS windows imparts a feeling of celebration, fiesta! Madrid, Spain, lights up the night in this December 8, 2016 image.

Often a dream destination, Pesquet captured the Galapagos islands in this December 4, 2016 image.

Taken on In this December 10, 2016 image snow atop the Pyrenees mountains seems to await skiers.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured this shot of the supermoon from the International Space Station on Dec. 14, 2016.

The popular vacay spot also offers sanctuary to many species. Baja California, on December 6, 2016 makes for great pictures!

The Sun’s evening light casts long shadows across the Alps underscoring the deep valleys and high summits.

From above, the Caribbean Sea is a melding together of various shades of blue in this December 4, 2016 image.

The solar arrays on the International Space Station offer a striking contrast of orange against the variations of blue found in the Caribbean Sea.

While Italy greeted a cloud-covered morning on December 10, 2016, the Alps stand guard to the North.

ESA’s Thomas Pesquet snapped this photo on December 2, 2016 of a unique, dragon-shaped river in South America.

Nature creates amazing shapes using Earth’s many mediums, as seen in this image taken by Pesquet on December 2, 2016.

At dusk on December 2, 2016, the strait of Oman evokes thoughts of an incomplete puzzle.

Even on the International Space Station, astronaut Thomas Pesquet keeps up with the NBA season and the Spurs and his friend Tony Parker playing in San Antonio, Texas.

The man-made Palm Islands in Dubai are an easily identifiable feature from the International Space Station.

A notable island in the Bahamas, Crooked Island could sub in for Treasure Island — for pirates to hide their treasures.

While not something enjoyable on Earth, tropical storms create marvelous views and photo ops from the ISS. Here Argentina prepares for an intense-looking storm to hit on December 6, 2016.

At the Horn of Africa, the small country of Djibouti comes face to face with the tip of the Middle East. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured this image December 2, 2016.

Between Chile and Argentina an emerald green lake glows in this image taken by Pesquet from the ISS on December 3, 2016.

The geometric shaped, stained-glass-esque features of this Brazilian coastline caught the attention of Pesquet on December 2, 2016.

From the ISS, sunrise takes on a different look. The sun peaks over the edge of the Earth in an awesome view on December 3, 2016. According to ESA’s Thomas Pesquet, as soon as sunlight hits the Cupola’s window you can feel its warmth.

The ISS circles the Earth in a west to east orbit. On November 28, 2016, Pesquet was drawn to the lights of Brittany in France as the station made its journey ’round the Earth.

Politics aside, the U.K. is close to Europe, as evidenced in this November 26, 2016 photo.

Mother Nature offers more natural beauty through fantastic geometric patterns in the Arabian Desert.

In the Arabian desert Nature’s patterns reveal a mind-blowing geometric pattern.

They may not be the Nazca lines in Peru, but these irrigation fields are still beautiful.

On a night pass over Egypt, Pesquet snapped this image of the Nile river, one of the distinct features on Earth.

“So much snow it looks like cream!” Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo, which was taken on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24, 2016).

French Astronaut Thomas Pesquet snapped this gorgeous photo of Italy by night from the International Space Station. A docked Soyuz spacecraft is seen in the foreground.

Pesquet said this is one of his favorite shots of Earth from the ISS. “Lightning illuminates the clouds from inside at night: beautiful show,” Pesquet wrote.

Pesquet snapped this photo of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps on Jan. 1, 2017. The mountain peak is often called “Europe’s roof.”

Pesquet captured this photo of “the Jura mountains swimming in the clouds” on Dec. 31, 2016. The Jura Mountains are located in the western Alps along the France-Switzerland border.

“A very straight road in the middle of an icy no-man’s land,” Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo, which was taken on Dec. 26, 2016. “Stay warm out there in Canada.”

“So much snow it looks like cream!” Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo of snow-covered mountains on Dec. 24, 2016.

Thomas Pesquet took this photo of Bordeaux, a city in southwest France where some of his family resides, on Dec. 17, 2016.

This photo of Egypt from space shows Lake Nasser, the Nile river and the Aswan dam.

“People have been dotting the desert with irrigated fields in Jordan,” Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo, which was taken on Dec. 12, 2016.

Lake Tanganyika is a huge lake that sits between the border of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Arrival to the sandy coasts of West Africa: some orange meets the white and blue of Earth,” Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo, taken on Dec. 9, 2016.

“The moon was playing hide and seek with us today… but I spotted it!” Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo, which was taken on Dec. 10, 2016.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet marvels at the view from the Cupola and its familiar shape. Which came first the class patch or the Cupola?