Eight astronauts to follow on Twitter

European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, left, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, center, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, crew members currently at the International Space Station. Photo / AP

Astronauts have the privilege of seeing the wonders of earth and space from an entirely different perspective. Now, thanks to Twitter, we are able to follow their adventures and insights as they post photos and thoughts to the social media platform.

There are only three NASA astronauts currently in space, but those who have returned to earth continue to give real time updates and behind the scenes photos about the world of space.

Here are eight astronauts to follow on Twitter:

1. Reid Wiseman

According to his profile, Wiseman is currently living on the ISS in the low earth orbit.

Just this morning he tweeted a photo of Auckland, saying, "Two volcanoes peek through the morning clouds near Auckland, New Zealand."

Follow: Reid Wiseman

Two volcanoes peek through the morning clouds near Auckland, New Zealand pic.twitter.com/zdE4yKYDQg

2. Alexander Gerst

His profile reads: European of German nationality @ESA astronaut, geophysicist, volcanologist and explorer. Living and working on the International Space Station.

Follow: Alexander Gerst

Nice view of Banks Peninsula in #NewZealand. Magnificent scenery, used to hike there often... #BlueDot pic.twitter.com/vlaoOlXF9T

3. Maxim Suraev

One of three astronauts currently in space, his profile reads: Hero of Russia. Pilot-Cosmonaut. Chief of Staff of public support for the candidate Vorobyov. So far, he hasn't tweeted any images from space, but he's worth following in case he does.

Follow: Maxim Suraev

4. Karen L. Nyberg

Her profile reads: "NASA Astronaut. Flew on Space Shuttle Discovery in 2008. Lived on International Space Station for six months in 2013. Now on Earth".

She posts regular updates about the world of NASA.

Follow: Karen L. Nyberg

1st Earth view I sent from space year ago today. Remember thinking, how could I ever capture more beautiful picture? pic.twitter.com/OLVoHknvDF

5. Mike Massimino

Massimino is no longer in space but was the first person to ever tweet from there in 2009. Unable to actually send the tweet from space, he sent it to the ground crew who then tweeted it. He now travels, speaking to various groups and posts Q&A YouTube videos.

Follow: Mike Massimino

Watch: A video of Massimino and Don Pettit answering questions submitted via Twitter.

6. 2013 Astronaut Class

The Twitter account of NASA's 21st astronaut class posts regular photos as they train to become astronauts.

Follow: 2013 Astronaut Class

.@AstroClass2013 Josh & Jessica are lowered into the NBL, prepping for missions like this http://t.co/3PMXZE4LeW pic.twitter.com/PenQSgY5GI

7. Jeremy R. Hansen

He has been a Canadian Space Agency Astronaut since 2009 and Hansen tweets regularly about what's happening in the world of astronauts, often with behind the scenes images.

Follow: Jeremy R. Hansen

You can see @AstroRM in airlock while @Astro_Wakata completes prep on Swanny's suit, then we will depress. pic.twitter.com/kdLnAiSxV0

8. Chris Hadfield

Famous for his prolific tweeting last year, including stunning images of New Zealand, Hadfield is now back on earth. He continues to tweet space facts and inspiring photos.

Follow: Commander Chris Hadfield

Space Station underlining the immense beauty of the universe. Thoughtful Drew Buckley photo. https://t.co/vnj4VzaSGC pic.twitter.com/qale3jvrlu

- nzherald.co.nz