Flashback 2016: Behold NASA's best photos of Earth clicked by astronauts
The Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas have picked their top 16 photos of Earth from International Space Station for 2016.
Given that this is NASA we're talking about, expect these pictures to be nothing less that breathtakingly spectacular, and quite literally out of this world.
These beautiful photographs show cities like Dubai from space, amazing natural features like Lake Urmia in Iran and some stunning man made features, such as Lake Nasser in Egypt. What's even more baffling is that the 16 pictures, released initially as a video slideshow, were all taken from the space station's windows by astronauts, and not by satellites in orbit.
The International Space Station orbits 255 miles (410 kilometers) above the Earth, offering a perfect vantage point great photography for astronauts seeking a passtime. Looking at weather systems or landscapes from that perspective, one can see large scale structures invisible from the ground, such as dune patterns in deserts or the perfect crater structure of Japan's Mt. Fuji.
Here's a look at these 'otherworldly' images.