Los Angeles basin from space makes an awesome photo

Earlier this week we alerted you to the photo tweets from space of Commander Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut in Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station. His image of the San Diego-Tijuana interface was pretty cool. Today he tweeted this big-picture view of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County and the San Gabriel Mountains framing us against the Pacific. With glimpses of the San Fernando Valley, the Inland Empire and Malibu plus assorted hills and mountain ranges. You can click the photo above to see it bigger.

Good day for Hadfield: he also posted Quebec City at night, Mexico City, Riyadh — and this beautiful capture of San Francisco and the bay, with both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge on nice display. "A quarter million people, following these Tweets from orbit!," the astronaut tweeted this afternoon. "I am honoured and humbled. Thanks to each of you for your interest and support!"