https://twitter.com/AstroKarenN/status/353866783461093376 I was away for the July 4th weekend and missed this awesome Twitpic from NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg. She shot it on July 7 from the International Space Station while over the Canary Islands. The photograph shows beautiful cloud patterns downwind of the islands including some swirling vortices. About two weeks ago, I posted an image of a cloud vortex off the coast of California. It includes an explanation of what's known as Von Karman vortices, along with a cool animation. So check it out here. If you love images of Earth like I do, you're probably already familiar with the awesome photographic work of Chris Hadfield. He departed from the station on May 13 of this year, and has since retired as an astronaut. On May 28th, Nyberg flew up to the station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft — and she's been shooting awesome pictures ever since. Here are some additional fabulous ones I found while, scrolling through her Twitter feed:

Sunrise from the International Space Station. (Image: Karen Nyberg, NASA)

Shortly after sunrise over Peru, Chile and Bolivia. (Image: Karen Nyberg, NASA)

The Southwestern United States, with Lake Powell on the Colorado River at center. (Image: Karen Nyberg, NASA) I can't wait to see — and post — more images from Nyberg in the coming weeks.