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Photos taken in Antarctica by digital artist and astrophotographer KAGAYA have been getting lots of love on the Japanese internet—and we can certainly see why!

Artist Yutaka Kagaya, or simply KAGAYA, who in addition to being a photographer produces various artwork related to constellations and astronomy, has been sharing online some of the pictures he took while in Antarctica during this past New Year, and the breathtaking and otherworldly images have attracted considerable attention here in Japan for being almost “too beautiful” to be true.

Just take a look at the pictures—we think you’ll agree they’re worth viewing!

▼ An unusually shaped iceberg that only nature could create:

▼ A dynamic view of glacial ice toppling off the mountainside:

▼ Another iceberg, which KAGAYA says most of is hidden underwater and remains unseen.

▼ KAGAYA describes this iceberg as looking like a castle.

▼ This is apparently the first rainbow the artist saw in Antarctica.

▼ This sunset was captured shortly before he left Antarctica.

▼ The haloed sun surrounded by clouds that look like wings made for such a stunning image that KAGAYA says he just clicked away with his camera without thinking.

▼ The seal here has a beautiful blue home.

▼ KAGAYA describes this picture as the “universe in Antarctica” and says that, to him, Antarctica is the place closest to outer space and where he can feel the existence of the planet Earth in the universe with his whole being.

▼ And you know how partial we are to penguins here at RocketNews24, so of course we had to include some pictures of them!

▼ Penguins frolicking in the wild always look awesome! Here, they were captured on camera at Antarctica’s Deception Island.

▼ We don’t know if these two penguins are actual “lovebirds”, but they certainly make a cute picture.

Not surprisingly,  Japanese Twitter users have been sharing the images with comments such as “Thank you for such beautiful pictures of the Earth,” and “The pictures are so beautiful, they look celestial.”

We too are grateful for the rare and awe-inspiring photos from the southern end of the world, as these aren’t sights that we can see every day. If you’re interested, you can see more of KAGAYA’s photos on his Twitter and Facebook accounts, and you can also check out his beautiful artwork that has been turned into posters, books and puzzles on his KAGAYA Studio website.

Enjoy the brilliant photos and illustrations, as they’re sure to be a feast for your eyes!

Source: Twitter/@KAGAYA_11949 via ITmedia
Top image: Twitter/@KAGAYA_11949