Hello, is this planet Earth?

Hello, is this planet Earth? is Tim Peake’s photographic account of his six-month Principia mission, built around more than 150 photographs he took aboard the International Space Station. Combining images of Earth from orbit with Peake’s personal commentary, it offers a first-person perspective on our planet and life beyond it.

• About: Earth and life in space
• Period: Six-month Principia mission
• Perspective: First-person experience from the International Space Station

About the book
From cities illuminated at night to the northern lights, oceans, mountains and deserts, Peake’s photographs capture views of Earth from 400km above its surface, including images that had not previously been seen.

The collection became a visual time capsule of a mission that captured the imaginations of children and adults around the world. Alongside the photography, Peake shares his thoughts from the mission and reflects on how leaving the planet gave him a renewed sense of its fragile beauty and of the place we call home.

The book’s title comes from Peake’s famous wrong-number call from space, when he accidentally misdialled a woman and asked, ‘Hello, is this planet Earth?’

Comparable books
If you’re looking for books similar to Hello, is this planet Earth?, these books also use spectacular photography to offer new perspectives on Earth and human spaceflight, ranging from another astronaut’s own record of life aboard the ISS to restored images of the Apollo missions and a photographic exploration of the natural world.

• Infinite Wonder by Scott Kelly: Like Peake’s book, Infinite Wonder brings together photographs taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, combining views of Earth from orbit with the perspective of someone living in space. Kelly’s photographs come from his year aboard the ISS, offering a different astronaut’s view of Earth and life in orbit.
• Apollo Remastered by Andy Saunders: Another lavish photographic record of human spaceflight, Apollo Remastered features astronauts, spacecraft, Earth and the Moon. Rather than a contemporary first-person photographic account, it restores archival NASA imagery and places greater emphasis on the history of the Apollo programme.
• Planet Earth: The Photographs by Alastair Fothergill: Like Peake’s book, this is a photographic celebration of Earth designed around spectacular views of the planet. Its focus is on Earth’s wildlife and natural environments rather than space exploration or the experience of an astronaut.