Through his 21-years as an astronaut and three spaceflights, Colonel Chris Hadfield has become a worldwide sensation, harnessing the power of social media to make outer space accessible to millions and infusing a sense of wonder into our collective consciousness not felt since humans first walked on the moon. Called “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Hadfield continues to bring the marvels of science and space travel to everyone he encounters. This week, Colonel Hadfield was honoured by The Professional Photographers of Canada with an honorary Service of Photographic Arts Designation. You can watch his video message of thanks, above:

Travel 62 million miles above the Earth: Check. Record a hit song: Check. Win a prestigious photography award: Done.

Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield has received several awards and honours since returning to Earth last May after a 5-month tour on the International Space Station. The latest laurels credit his talents with a camera.

The Professional Photographers of Canada awarded Hadfield an honorary Service of Photographic Arts Designation to recognize the astronaut’s above-average photography, which, it said, “increased awareness of the beauty of our planet.”

Hadfield thanked the organization in a YouTube video and credited his special tripod – the space station floating 1.2 million feet about the planet – for providing an endless change of “colour and textures and light perpetually underneath me.”

Hadfield thanked his photography instructors, his father for buying him his first camera, and the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, “who gave me the opportunity to point the lens and try and capture the magic that is our world.”

Below, some examples of his work: