Astronaut's Photos of Earth Look Like Beautiful Abstract Paintings

"Harsh land. Windswept valleys in northern #Africa"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 6, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA

1 of 11
"Land use in South Africa, you can see where water is."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 9, 2014.

Alexander Gerst—ESA

2 of 11
"Irrigation in the #Sahara #Desert looks like a challenging task from up here... #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 28, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA

3 of 11
"An open history book of our planet: the #Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA

4 of 11
"An open history book of our planet: the # Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA

5 of 11
"Close-up of gigantic Salar of Uyuni in Bolivia. You can even see the salt fields and the 'Cactus Island'."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 15, 2014.

Alexander Gerst—ESA

6 of 11
"The #Moon was still behind the horizon. A #FataMorgana of atmospherical refraction #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 14, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA

7 of 11
"When I took this photo, I was sure these are clouds. But now I'm not so sure... #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 7, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA

8 of 11
"Probably a river in Kazakhstan or slightly west of it."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 29, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA

9 of 11
"An open history book of our planet: the #Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA

10 of 11
"Human-made fires in East Africa. Can you spot them?"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 9, 2014

Alexander Gerst—ESA

11 of 11