Italy, Alps and Mediterranean

ESA astronaut Tim Peake posted this photo on his social media channels, commenting "Beautiful night pass over Italy, Alps and Mediterranean".

Tim's six-month mission to the International Space Station is named Principia, after Isaac Newton’s ground-breaking Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which describes the principal laws of motion and gravity.

He is performing more than 30 scientific experiments for ESA and taking part in numerous others from ESA’s international partners.

ESA and the UK Space Agency have partnered to develop many exciting educational activities around the Principia mission, aimed at sparking the interest of young children in science and space.

More about the Principia mission: http://www.esa.int/principia

More photos from Tim on his flickr photostream: https://www.flickr.com/photos/timpeake