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This website is not affiliated with, maintained, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with NASA or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. All NASA imagery is in the public domain unless otherwise noted. Data sourced from NASA Open APIs, Launch Library 2, and other open data services.

NASA Gallery

Explore NASA's vast collection of space images, videos, and audio from missions past and present.

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NASA's Image and Video Library: A Visual Archive of Space Exploration

NASA's Image and Video Library is one of the most comprehensive public archives of space imagery in the world, containing over 140,000 images, videos, and audio recordings spanning more than six decades of space exploration. From the earliest Mercury and Gemini missions through the Apollo Moon landings, the Space Shuttle era, and today's cutting-edge observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, this collection documents humanity's journey into the cosmos.

The library includes imagery from diverse sources: telescopes like Hubble and Webb that capture deep-space nebulae, galaxies, and exoplanets; planetary missions like the Mars rovers ( browse Mars photos) and Cassini at Saturn; Earth observation satellites ( see EPIC imagery); astronaut photography from the ISS; and documentation of rocket launches, spacecraft assembly, and ground testing. Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to download at full resolution for educational, editorial, and personal use.

Use the search bar above to find specific subjects — try queries like "Apollo 11," "Hubble Deep Field," "Mars surface," or "astronaut EVA." You can also filter by media type (image, video, or audio). For a daily curated experience, visit the Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Showing results for "First Light"

1,121 results found - Page 1 of 47

NASA image: Light-toned Rocks First, Columbia Hills Later
Image
Apr 8, 2004

Light-toned Rocks First, Columbia Hills Later

Light-toned Rocks First, Columbia Hills Later

JPL
NASA image: First Light After The Big Bang
Video
Mar 12, 2019

First Light After The Big Bang

Webb is set to look at the first light after the Big Bang.

GSFC
NASA image: WISE First-Light Image
Image
Jan 6, 2010

WISE First-Light Image

This infrared snapshot of a region in the constellation Carina near the Milky Way was taken shortly after NASA...

JPL
NASA image: MAHLI First Night Imaging of Martian Rock, White Lighting
Image
Jan 24, 2013

MAHLI First Night Imaging of Martian Rock, White Lighting

A Martian rock in the Yellowknife Bay area of Mars Gale Crater is illuminated by white-light light emitting diodes...

JPL
NASA image: GPM GMI First Light
Video
Mar 25, 2014

GPM GMI First Light

On March 10, the Core Observatory passed over an extra-tropical cyclone about 1055 miles (1700 kilometers) due east...

GSFC
NASA image: Tanager-1 First Light
Image
Sep 25, 2024

Tanager-1 First Light

An imaging spectrometer designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory captured its first data over Karachi, Pakistan,...

JPL
NASA image: EMIT Instrument's First Light
Image
Jul 29, 2022

EMIT Instrument's First Light

This image shows the first measurements taken by NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) from...

JPL
NASA image: MAHLI First Night Imaging of Martian Rock Under Ultraviolet Lighting
Image
Jan 24, 2013

MAHLI First Night Imaging of Martian Rock Under Ultraviolet Lighting

This image of a Martian rock dubbed Sayunei is illuminated by ultraviolet LEDs light emitting diodes is part of the...

JPL
NASA image: SDO: Year One
Video
Apr 21, 2011

SDO: Year One

April 21, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) First Light press conference,...

GSFC
NASA image: EMIT Instrument's First Light
Image
Oct 12, 2022

EMIT Instrument's First Light

The mineral map shows an area of southwestern Libya in the Sahara Desert observed by NASA's Earth Surface Mineral...

JPL
NASA image: FLITECAM at Work
Image
Jun 27, 2015

FLITECAM at Work

Technicians fill SOFIA’s instrument with liquid nitrogen and helium to keep the detectors cold. The now retired...

AFRC
NASA image: GPM DPR First Light
Video
Mar 25, 2014

GPM DPR First Light

Extratropical cyclone in the Northwest Pacific observed by the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on board the...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA Dryden's Dave Bushman aims the optics of a laser device at a panel on a model aircraft during the first flight demonstration of an aircraft powered by laser light.
Image
Sep 17, 2003

NASA Dryden's Dave Bushman aims the optics of a laser device at a panel on a model aircraft during the first flight demonstration of an aircraft powered by laser light.

NASA Dryden project engineer Dave Bushman carefully aims the optics of a laser device at a solar cell panel on a...

AFRC
NASA image: First LROC Images
Image
Jul 2, 2009

First LROC Images

Full resolution detail from one of the first LROC NAC images. At this scale and lighting, impact craters dominate...

JPL
NASA image: Planck First Glimpse at the Universe
Image
Sep 17, 2009

Planck First Glimpse at the Universe

One of Planck first images is shown as a strip superimposed over a two dimensional projection of the whole sky as...

JPL
NASA image: Hidden Patterns of Light Revealed by Spitzer
Image
Jun 7, 2012

Hidden Patterns of Light Revealed by Spitzer

Astronomers have uncovered patterns of light that appear to be from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the...

JPL
NASA image: SWOT Satellite's Land 'First Light'
Image
Mar 24, 2023

SWOT Satellite's Land 'First Light'

This visualization shows water features on New York's Long Island – shown as bright pink splotches nestled within...

JPL
NASA image: NASA's ECOSTRESS First Light Image
Image
Jul 9, 2018

NASA's ECOSTRESS First Light Image

ECOSTRESS acquired this image the night of July 9, 2018, over Egypt. Yellow and red indicate generally higher...

JPL
NASA image: Lightning Flashing on Saturn
Image
Apr 14, 2010

Lightning Flashing on Saturn

This image from NASA Cassini spacecraft, the first of its kind, shows lightning on Saturn night side flashing in a...

JPL
NASA image: Fade to Red
Image
Jun 5, 2006

Fade to Red

This image shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory,...

JPL
NASA image: Pointing X-ray Eyes at our Resident Supermassive Black Hole
Image
Oct 23, 2012

Pointing X-ray Eyes at our Resident Supermassive Black Hole

NASA NuSTAR has captured these first, focused views of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way...

JPL
NASA image: Measuring Brightness of Super Earth 55 Cancri e
Image
May 8, 2012

Measuring Brightness of Super Earth 55 Cancri e

This graphic illuminates the process by which astronomers using NASA Spitzer Space Telescope have, for the first...

JPL
NASA image: SDO: Year 2
Video
Apr 20, 2012

SDO: Year 2

April 21, 2012 marks the two-year anniversary of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) First Light press conference,...

GSFC
NASA image: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich First Light Waveform
Image
Dec 10, 2020

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich First Light Waveform

This graphic, released on Dec. 10, 2020, shows the basic radar measurements, called waveforms, collected by the...

JPL
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Frequently Asked Questions About NASA Images

Are NASA images free to use?+
Yes, most NASA images are in the public domain and are free to use for educational, informational, and personal purposes. NASA's media usage guidelines state that NASA material is not copyrighted unless otherwise noted. However, the NASA logo and certain insignia are protected. Some images may include identifiable individuals or third-party content that requires additional permissions. Always check the specific image's usage rights and credit NASA as the source.
How many images does NASA have?+
NASA's Image and Video Library contains over 140,000 publicly accessible images, videos, and audio files spanning the agency's entire history, from the Mercury program of the 1960s to the latest James Webb Space Telescope discoveries. The collection grows daily as new missions capture imagery and archival materials are digitized. Individual mission archives, such as Mars rover photos, contain hundreds of thousands of additional images.
Can I download NASA images?+
Yes, you can download NASA images in multiple resolutions directly from this gallery. Each image detail page provides download links for original (full resolution), large (1920px), medium (960px), small (480px), and thumbnail sizes. NASA encourages the public to use these images for education, media, and personal projects. High-resolution originals are ideal for printing and professional use.

Explore More NASA Content

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