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Astronaut Kimiya Yui’s photos tweeted from the International Space Station are simply stunning

Preston Phro Dec 3, 2015
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spaaaaaaace

Kimya Yui’s photographs are out of this world, in more ways than one!

Previously a test pilot for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Kimiya Yui was selected to be an astronaut for JAXA in 2009 and has been aboard the International Space Station since July this year. Over the last few months, the Japanese astronaut has been documenting his time in space by tweeting gorgeous photos of Earth, its sunrises, and the lights of cities as night.

We may not be able to fly through space with Kimiya, but at least we can share his view through the magic of the Internet!

宇宙から見る夕焼けは、とっても綺麗なんですよ。宇宙へ来て、言葉が出ず涙が出るような景色を沢山見て来ました。せめて、写真だけでも皆さんに見て頂きたいという気持ちで、撮っています。美しさに感動したとき、心が美しくなった気がするから。。 pic.twitter.com/XlyuMFgZYQ

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 28, 2015

The photo above is a view of the sunset from space — a sentence almost as awesome as the picture itself. Kimiya notes that he’s had numerous views in space that were so beautiful as to leave him speechless, a feeling we can perfectly understand having seen these photos.

Pictures of west coast, east coast of U.S. or small villages in Canada at night. Which do you like? 米国西海岸、東海岸、カナダの村） pic.twitter.com/j4KnI2dTSb

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 27, 2015

Here’s a tweet where the astronaut asks the difficult question about which view we like better. We can’t pick, Kimiya! We just can’t!

撮ったばかりの写真です。日本海に発達した低気圧がありますね。画面の中央付近の夜空が、帯状に明るくなっていますが、これが以前お話した黄道光です。遠方には、日本の大都市が映っていますよ。この写真をとった後、大急ぎで別の窓へ移動しました笑 pic.twitter.com/vaGi7iOBxp

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 26, 2015

This photo is of a low pressure area over the Sea of Japan taken at the end of November, as a sliver of light, called zodiacal light, glows on the horizon.

今日は米国の祝日（サンクス・ギビング・デー）なので、私も休日。私は、皆さんに特別な夕食を振舞う事が出来ませんので、さっき撮影した日の出の写真で感謝の気持ちを表したいと思います。一瞬の間に、ダイナミックに変化していく光が凄いんです。 pic.twitter.com/BFxT08OwUK

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 26, 2015

It looks like even astronauts take time off for Thanksgiving! Kimiya wrote that he had the day off for the holiday, so he decided to share these photos as an expression of gratitude. They’re almost better than a stuffed turkey.

雲の下のモスクワ。「あの雲の下に、大西さんもいるんだよなぁ～。星の街のお友達も元気にしているかなぁ」なんて考えながら撮っている時「雲を通して見る光も雰囲気が違っていいな」と思いました。オーロラさんも「元気出してね！」と言っています。 pic.twitter.com/B7HnkHhgYn

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 23, 2015

The photo tweeted above is of the lights of Moscow seen through clouds. It’s definitely one of the most enchanting photos we’ve seen!

最近良く登場するジブラルタル海峡ですが、今日はそこがポイントではありません。この写真を見ると砂漠にも人が住んでいるのが分かりますね。そして、左側に彦星、中央右側のラジエターの側に織姫星が。月明かりの力を借りて、良い写真になりました。 pic.twitter.com/wBdcJqDoYa

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 21, 2015

In the photo above, you can see lights from the Strait of Gibraltar along with the lights of people living in the desert, all bathed in moonlight. And in the sky, on the left side of the photo, Altair is visible, as is Vega, in the center near the ISS’s radiator.

Brazil)I would like to celebrate 120years of diplomatic relationship between Brazil and Japan!
ブラジルと日本の外交関係樹立から１２０年 pic.twitter.com/UREIyvNwhH

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 19, 2015

We love all the colors Kimiya captured in this photo — particularly the deep, dark blue.

宇宙から見た地球照の月です。暗い部分が地球に照らされて明るくなっています。この様な月は、地上からも見えますので、月を見る機会があれば、次はちょっと注意深く見て下さいね。 pic.twitter.com/UYZTNUtgdF

— 油井亀美也　Kimiya.Yui (@Astro_Kimiya) November 10, 2015

Finally, here’s a photo of the moon, lit slightly by light reflecting off Earth. According to Kimiya, this view of the moon can even been seen from Earth’s surface, so be sure to give it a good look next chance you get!

Kimiya is slated to return to earth next week on December 11, a bit earlier than originally planned. We’re not sure how an astronaut feels about coming home, but we certainly want to wish him a happy landing!

Sources: Hamusoku, Twitter/@Astro_Kimiya
Featured image: Twitter/@Astro_Kimiya