Science

Astronaut Scott Kelly just broke the record for the longest US single spaceflight, and the pictures he's taken along the way are incredible

Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer

2015-10-29T18:28:02Z

Astronaut Scott Kelly now officially holds the record for the longest US single spaceflight, surpassing Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria's record of 215 days.

And here at Business Insider, we can't get enough of Astronaut Scott Kelly's Instagram account.

Right before Kelly took off for his year in space, President Obama told him, "Good luck Captain. Make sure to Instagram it."

So in celebration of his most recent milestone, here are some of the best shots from his time in space.

Here's Kelly's first stunning shot of Earth from space, taken 27 weeks ago.

Good morning, Texas from the @ISS. Looks like Houston and Austin have some weather headed your way. #YearInSpace #ISS #Goodmorning #saturday #weekend #Texas #Houston #Austin #weather #wx #houwx #space #earth
A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Apr 4, 2015 at 11:32am PDT

His photos are filled with striking colors, from neon greens ...

Hopefully this is pollen or algae and not something man made. #YearInSpace #earth #space #ISS #photo

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Apr 10, 2015 at 4:14pm PDTApr 10, 2015 at 4:14pm PDT

... to vibrant yellow. Unfortunately, Kelly used to not include where these photos were taken, leaving his Instagram audience to guess.

#EarthArt. This shade of yellow is a rare sight. #YearInSpace #yellow #earth #art #iss #spacestation #space #photo

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Jul 6, 2015 at 8:47am PDTJul 6, 2015 at 8:47am PDT

And this one over South America, which looks like something straight out of a kaleidescope.

#EarthArt #SouthAmerica #YearInSpace

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 20, 2015 at 2:10pm PDTOct 20, 2015 at 2:10pm PDT

Kelly has also been good at documenting huge natural disasters, like Hurricane Patricia, which reached winds up to 200 mph before making landfall.

Hurricane #Patricia approaches #Mexico. It's massive. Be careful! #YearInSpace #hurricane #storm #stormtracking #weather #wx #space #spacestation #iss #NASA

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 23, 2015 at 1:05pm PDTOct 23, 2015 at 1:05pm PDT

His perspective living up on the International Space Station makes for some one-of-a-kind shots, like this one of a desert lake. Kelly remarks that the reflection from the cloud makes it look as if this lake is actually filled with liquid metal.

#EarthArt The sun’s reflection appears to spill liquid metal onto this desert lake. #YearInSpace #iss #space #metallic #earth #art #pod

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Jul 7, 2015 at 11:21am PDTJul 7, 2015 at 11:21am PDT

While he's up there, Kelly is taking part in studies to see what happens to the human body while it's out in space for a year, along with Kelly's twin, Mark, who's on Earth for comparison.

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly)Sep 27, 2015 at 11:59am PDT

Learn more about the twin study.

Kelly labels the photos with the hashtag #EarthArt. It's easy to see why.

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly)Sep 30, 2015 at 12:20pm PDT

Kelly captures other amazing phenomenon, like these Northern Lights as seen with Chicago in the foreground.

#Aurora and all that jazz over #Chicago city lights. #YearInSpace #space #spacestation #iss #NorthernLights #photo

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 2, 2015 at 3:56pm PDTOct 2, 2015 at 3:56pm PDT

Kelly recently made it past the halfway point on his yearlong tour in the ISS, which he celebrated with this Instagram selfie.

Day 183. Six months in space #saturdayselfie and a #GoodNight from @ISS! #YearInSpace #space #spacestation #iss #selfie #saturday #photo

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Sep 26, 2015 at 3:59pm PDTSep 26, 2015 at 3:59pm PDT

Kelly edged past US astronaut Mike Fincke’s record of 382 cumulative days in space on October 16. Kelly passed another milestone for the most time consecutively spent in space by a US astronaut on October 29.

Day 197. Storming at the heel of the boot. #BuonaNotte #GoodNight from @ISS! #YearInSpace #lightning #storm #Italy #night #space #spacestation #iss #photo #pod

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 10, 2015 at 6:43pm PDTOct 10, 2015 at 6:43pm PDT

Earlier in October, Kelly took to setting up photo series based on certain locations that showcase the wide variety in colors and textures in those areas. Here's his first in a series on the Australian continent.

#EarthArt in one pass across the #Australian Continent. Picture 1 of 17. #YearInSpace #Australia #earth #art #space #spacestation #iss

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 12, 2015 at 9:42am PDTOct 12, 2015 at 9:42am PDT

This one, also in the series of the Australian continent, looks more like an abstract work of art than an actual place here on Earth.

#EarthArt in one pass across the #Australian Continent. Picture 5 of 17. #YearInSpace #Australia #earth #art #space #photo #photogallery #spacestation #iss

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 12, 2015 at 12:45pm PDTOct 12, 2015 at 12:45pm PDT

Seriously. How are these photos real?!

#EarthArt autumn leaves remind me of the good things that come with change. Happy #FirstDayofFall! #YearInSpace #autumn #leaves #earth #change #fall #space #spacestation #iss #photo

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Sep 23, 2015 at 10:41am PDTSep 23, 2015 at 10:41am PDT

Kelly's also started a series on industrialized China, highlighting different factory areas in the country. So far, he's shared five of his 10 pictures.

#EarthArt One pass over industrialized #China. 1 of 10. #YearInSpace #earth #space #photo #spacestation #iss

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 15, 2015 at 9:29am PDTOct 15, 2015 at 9:29am PDT

Kelly won't return back to Earth until March 2016, giving him plenty more time to take photos, like this one of China that's part of a larger series.

#EarthArt One pass over industrialized #China 2 of 10. #YearInSpace #earth #art #space #photo #spacestation #iss

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 15, 2015 at 10:02am PDTOct 15, 2015 at 10:02am PDT

We'll keep watching along for more mesmerizing photos.

#GoodNight to day 201 from @ISS! Thanks for following along on my #YearInSpace #space #sunset #spacestation #iss

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Oct 14, 2015 at 4:47pm PDTOct 14, 2015 at 4:47pm PDT

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