Astronaut's incredible timelapse video shows beauty of Earth from above

An incredible timelapse video showing the full beauty of Earth from above has been released by the European Space Agency.

Awe-inspiring images showing sunrise, sunset and the Northern Lights were captured by German astronaut Alexander Gerst during his six-month mission upon the International Space Station.

The video is made up of 12,500 pictures taken by Gerst, who took them manually as well as using an automatic camera to capture photographs at regular intervals.

As well as giving viewers a glimpse of the station in action, the pictures give an unbeatable view of auroras, lightning storms, the Milky Way, and city lights shining into the night sky.

Gerst's 'Blue Dot' mission, which lasted from May until November, was to conduct a series of physical science, biology, and human physiology experiments, as well as research into radiation and technology.

The experiments collected data which scientists hope could help them prepare for further human exploration of the Solar System.