A picture taken by American astronaut Scott Kelly shows Italy and Malta lighting up the Mediterranean last night... and closer than ever before.

In a tweet, Kelly wrote: "Twilight and #Italy to boot! #BuonaNotte #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace".

A veteran of three previous missions, Kelly was selected in November 2012 for a special year-long mission to the International Space Station, which began in March 2015.

He currently serves as Commander of the International Space Station on the one year mission. Last October 2015, he set the record for the total number of days spent in space by an American astronaut.