The Earth in Our Hands: Photos from the International Space Station

Take a trip around Earth, with a front-row seat on the International Space Station and an astronaut as your guide.

The Earth in Our Hands is a work of amazing breadth and beauty. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet brought his camera along for the ride when he was deployed to the International Space Station, and from this exceptional vantage point, he captured the Earth and its surroundings in sweeping views and stunning detail.

Seas, rivers, islands, deserts, mountains, cities... From April to November 2021, Pesquet photographed every aspect of our planet from every angle. Spectacular and fascinating pictorials of the Alpha mission reveal the fragility of Earth and the need for humanity to protect it.

The Earth in Our Hands begins as does the day, at dawn, and more than 200 stunning photos take readers through clouds, seas, coastlines, cities, deserts, mountains and, finally, nightfall. Readers are also treated to four panoramic gatefolds that cover the ISS crew, the Bahamas, Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) and New York City.

Fantastic views of auroras, storms, coastlines and cities at night are a few of the delights.

A vibrant tribute to the wonders of nature and a passionate plea for a collective awareness of the effects of climate change, The Earth in Our Hands is as compelling as it is beautiful.

During his second mission to the International Space Station, Thomas Pesquet spent 200 days in space, during which he performed four space walks and took part in more than 200 scientific experiments, some of which were designed to help prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Pesquet is the first French commander of the International Space Station and the European record holder for both cumulative time in space and spacewalks, with respectively close to 400 days, and 40 hours.