Scotland from space, by Commander Hadfield

HE’S THE Canadian astronaut who has been posting photos of the earth from the International Space Station (ISS), some 220 miles above us.

Commander Chris Hadfield, who is currently working as a Flight Engineer on the ISS, tweeted last night: ‘With her currently clear late-February skies, today seems like a good day for pictures of Scotland. Agreed?’

The first Canadian astronaut to walk in space then posted seven photographs of Scotland from space, including aerial shots of Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Skye, the North East and Loch Lomond.

Commander Hadfield, who has amassed over 450,000 followers on his Twitter account, will also become the first Canadian to command the ISS when the crew of Expedition 34 leave.

Commander Hadfield has revealed that he first became interested in space following the Apollo moon landing, and has flown two space missions - the STS-74 Atlantis mission in 1995, and the STS-100 Endeavour mission of 2001.

Commander Hadfield tweeted seven pictures last night, accompanied by the following descriptions:

1. “The low, late afternoon February sun shines across the skinny waist of Scotland, almost to Edinburgh.”

2. “Isle of Skye, Scotland, with February snow on the peaks. Mist and mountains - a stirring landscape.”

3. “Scotland - from Prestwick to Glasgow, past Loch Lomond to Inveraray.”

4. “The ruggedness of Scotland evident in the snowy hills and lochs north of the Firth of Clyde.”

5. “The Scottish east coast as-seen from space, Montrose to Peterhead, Aberdeen at the centre.”

6. “Glasgow and the bonnie, bonnie hills of Loch Lomond.”

7. “Tonight’s Finale: Edinburgh to Dundee, with the big Tay and Forth bridges visible. Save the rest for another day!”