Seen from space, the Acropolis of Athens is overshadowed here by the rocky outcrop on which it sits. Captured by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, it is one of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites she has snapped from the International Space Station during her latest research mission, which began last November.
This view of the Vredefort Dome, the largest known meteorite impact structure on Earth, was photographed from above an area near Johannesburg in South Africa. The partial ring visible in the image is made up of hills that were once part of the larger dome that resulted from the collision.
Moving further east, Cristoforetti has also captured a spectacular view of Shark Bay on Australia's west coast. It's one of three places in the world where you can find modern stromatolites – rocky structures created by bacteria around 3000 years ago. The creatures that created these stromatolites are similar to life forms that existed as far back as 3.5 million years ago – so they are considered to be living fossils, providing insight into early life on Earth.
The full series of Cristoforetti's views of UNESCO-listed spots from space can be seen on her Flickr site.
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