Lake Chad and a Bodele Dust Plume, Sahara—Expedition 42: February 2, 2015

If you were looking for the best way to catch a great glimpse of the glorious planet we live on, there's without a doubt no better spot to do so than the International Space Station.

Drifting 250 miles above the Earth's surface, the ISS has the ultimate vantage point to see all the Earth has to offer. Those aboard the space station are able to witness the raw power of Mother Nature, but also the harmful effects of pollution and climate change.

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Nevertheless, astronauts get to test their hand in photography during their 6-month (or longer) stay aboard the ISS, and what we have now is the hand-picked favorites of theNASA Johnson Space Center's Earth Observations team.

Seen above is the 15 best photos of the year taken from the space station, as judged by NASA.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Space Photos of the Year 2015

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this close-up image of an outburst on the sun's surface, between Nov. 3-5, 2015. Though the sun’s extreme ultraviolet light is invisible to our eyes, the wavelength is colorized here in red. (NASA/SDO)