15 stunning images that were taken by Google Street View

(Jon Rafman/Google)

Since 2007, Google Street View has taken panoramic shots of 5 million miles of roads, covering 45 countries and about 3,000 cities around the world.

Canadian artist and filmmaker Jon Rafman has spent many hours culling through these images. He takes screen shots of the best ones and displays them on his blog (though never reveals their location). Called "9-Eyes," his Tumblr is named after the nine cameras that Google's Street View cars use.

The photos portray how weird and beautiful the world looks. Take a look at some of our favourites.

Caroline Moss contributed to a previous version of this article.

Rafman searches through Google Street View's archives for hours, he told The New York Times.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

In order to find the most interesting images, he's been mining through Google's footage for years. He says he enjoys being a "virtual explorer."

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

The photos he collects are taken all over the world.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

He finds beautiful, serene landscapes ...

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

... action-packed scenes ...

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

... and even some photos that seem slightly eerie.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

Remarkably composed, the angles Rafman selects makes the images look like they were captured by a human photographer rather than by Google's robots.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

The Street View images feature many interesting characters. Here's a superhero who needed a nap ...

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

And a man popping a sideways wheelie.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

Wayne and Garth even make a sly appearance in the photo below.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

And here's Pluto having a grand time.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

Animals appear in many of the photos as well.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

Here's one in which a bunch of monkeys are hanging out.

(Jon Rafman/Google)

Rafman never reveals where on the map the images come from.

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

So wherever this cop arrested the man pictured below remains a mystery...

(Jon Rafman/Google (Jon Rafman/Google)

• Here are the 3 most common reasons why your flight is delayed
• Amazing pictures show the brutal living conditions in the highest habitable place on earth
• The 10 most visited cities around the world in 2016

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.