There is a quote attributed to influential American academic, author and educator Lewis Thomas that perfectly captures the awe-inspiring beauty of Earth and its place in the Universe.

"Of all celestial bodies within reach or view, as far as we can see, out to the edge, the most wonderful and marvellous and mysterious is turning out to be our own planet Earth. There is nothing to match it anywhere, not yet anyway," he said.

With that sentiment in mind, NASA's Earth Science Division has put together a new photo essay that shows our planet in a collection of stunning images, taken from satellites peering down on us from Earth's atmosphere.

The space agency has produced a hardcover book showcasing the pictures and released a free e-book and online version.

"For all of the dynamism and detail we can observe from orbit, sometimes it is worth stepping back and simply admiring Earth," writes NASA's Michael Carlowicz in the book's introduction.

Among the photos included in the collection are striking shots of Australia's natural environment. Below the Georgina, Burke, and Hamilton rivers merge into the very broad floodplain of Eyre Creek in Queensland's so-called Channel Country.

An astronaut on the International Space Station took this photograph.

Another Australian photo featured in the collection shows the markings of ephemeral lakes in Australia interior in South Australian state.

The Earth Observing-1 satellite captured the below image in April 2010 after water had flowed into Lake Frome, which stands at the southern end of an arc of salt pans, NASA said.

When it fills, the waters usually come from precipitation in the hills and other salt pans upstream.

A separate photo taken by NASA's Earth Observatory and shared on social media this month shows the extent of flooding in northern Queensland when the Flinders River overflowed and expanded to a width of 60 kilometres.

RELATED: Flood waters open up 'mega river' in Queensland

The online photo essay is full of stunning aerial images from around the world that are really worth checking out.

It is divided into four sections: atmosphere, land, water and ice and snow. Below is a small taste of how NASA astronauts and the agency's technology have been capturing the world below.

Mt Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island

Land of Lakes of Canada

From Rainforest to Rain Shadow, the United States

Tidal Flats and Channels in the Bahamas

Bowknot Bend in Utah, the United States