So I’m browsing my photography feed on Google+. There are the usual charming street photos, some gorgeous birds, plenty of bugs on flowers. A sunset or two.

Then, unexpectedly, a moonrise from somewhere high above the earth. Some guy is posting photos from space.

Not photographs of space, from a telescope, like we mere mortals might do. No. These images are actually captured from orbit, looking down. Wow.

The source is NASA astronaut Ron Garan, who recently spent half a year in the international space station and started his G+ account from low earth orbit. Lucky for us, Garan remembered to pack a camera. Feast your eyes on these!

• More where these came from: Ron Garan’s G+ page