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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 "background"

3,855 results found - Page 2 of 161

NASA image: Hartmann Background
Image
Jan 1, 2007

Hartmann Background

Artist rendition, part of the Dawn Mission Art series. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19377

JPL
NASA image: First Stars or Stray Stars? A Cosmic Infrared Mystery
Image
Nov 6, 2014

First Stars or Stray Stars? A Cosmic Infrared Mystery

Our sky is filled with a diffuse background glow, known as the cosmic infrared background. Much of the light is from...

JPL
NASA image: Soviet Soyuz spacecraft contrasted against a black-sky background
Image
Jul 17, 1975

Soviet Soyuz spacecraft contrasted against a black-sky background

AST-02-096 (18 July 1975) --- This scene photograph from a rendezvous window of the American Apollo spacecraft in...

JSC
NASA image: Rainy Winter Season Brings Abundance of Wildflowers and Poppies in Southern California’s Antelope Valley. The Poppy is the state flower.
Image
Apr 2, 2019

Rainy Winter Season Brings Abundance of Wildflowers and Poppies in Southern California’s Antelope Valley. The Poppy is the state flower.

View from a NASA aircraft, TG-14, over the Superbloom of yellow wildflowers and orange poppies from the Antelope...

AFRC
NASA image: Lunar Roving Vehicle photographed against lunar background during EVA
Image
Aug 1, 1971

Lunar Roving Vehicle photographed against lunar background during EVA

AS15-88-11901 (31 July-2 Aug. 1971) --- The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is photographed alone against the desolate...

JSC
NASA image: Soviet Soyuz spacecraft contrasted against a black-sky background
Image
Jul 17, 1975

Soviet Soyuz spacecraft contrasted against a black-sky background

AST-02-093 (18 July 1975) --- This scene photographed with a hand-held 70mm camera from a rendezvous window of the...

JSC
NASA image: Rosetta Comet Comes Alive
Image
May 15, 2014

Rosetta Comet Comes Alive

This still from a sequence of images shows comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko moving against the background star field.

JPL
NASA image: Through the Universe Looking Glass
Image
Mar 21, 2013

Through the Universe Looking Glass

ESA Planck has imaged the most distant light we can observe, called the cosmic microwave background, with...

JPL
NASA image: Rings in Orbit
Image
Mar 20, 2007

Rings in Orbit

Stars trail across the background during this exposure, timed to capture the faint light from these D ring features

JPL
NASA image: Hubble Career Profiles: Jackie Townsend
Video
Jul 27, 2009

Hubble Career Profiles: Jackie Townsend

Townsend came to Goddard with a background in physics and has served as the instrument manager of Hubble's newest...

GSFC
NASA image: MSFC-1700818
Image
Jul 10, 2017

MSFC-1700818

The platform which will be used to load the Orion stage adapter into NASA's Super Guppie aircraft is shown in the...

MSFC
NASA image: Spitzer Space Telescope (Illustration)
Image
Jan 22, 2020

Spitzer Space Telescope (Illustration)

In this artist's rendering of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in space, the background is shown in infrared light....

JPL
NASA image: DSCN1579 - CM with Chambers in background
Image
Feb 26, 2013

DSCN1579 - CM with Chambers in background

The Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module inside the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at...

JSC
NASA image: STS-33 MS Carter on KSC LC Pad 39B 195 ft level with OV-103 in background
Image
Jan 23, 1990

STS-33 MS Carter on KSC LC Pad 39B 195 ft level with OV-103 in background

S90-27594 (November 1989) --- Manley L. "Sonny" Carter Jr., STS-33 mission specialist, wearing a Launch and Entry...

JSC
NASA image: STS-33 MS Thornton on KSC LC Pad 39B 195 ft level with OV-103 in background
Image
Jan 23, 1990

STS-33 MS Thornton on KSC LC Pad 39B 195 ft level with OV-103 in background

STS-33 Mission Specialist (MS) Kathryn C. Thornton, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and holding file folder,...

JSC
NASA image: Hubble Career Profiles: Benjamin Reed
Video
Jul 27, 2009

Hubble Career Profiles: Benjamin Reed

These profiles begin to explore what systems engineering is as seen through the roles of Benjamin Reed and Jackie...

GSFC
NASA image: STS-79 crew at aft flight deck overhead windows with Mir in background
Image
Nov 1, 1996

STS-79 crew at aft flight deck overhead windows with Mir in background

STS079-353-007 (16-26 Sept. 1996) --- Astronaut Terrence W. Wilcutt, on the Space Shuttle Atlantis' aft flight deck,...

JSC
NASA image: STS-33 crewmembers on KSC LC Pad 39B 195 ft level with OV-103 in background
Image
Jan 23, 1990

STS-33 crewmembers on KSC LC Pad 39B 195 ft level with OV-103 in background

S90-27591 (23 Jan 1990) --- STS-33 crewmembers, wearing launch and entry suit (LES), take a break from training...

JSC
NASA image: Into the Shadow
Image
Feb 9, 2007

Into the Shadow

The strands of Saturn F ring disappear into the darkness of the planet shadow. Background stars make trails across...

JPL
NASA image: MoonKAM Looks Homeward
Image
Mar 22, 2012

MoonKAM Looks Homeward

This image of the far side of the lunar surface, with Earth in the background, is of crater De Forest and was taken...

JPL
NASA image: Artist View of a Super-Jupiter around a Brown Dwarf 2M1207
Image
Feb 18, 2016

Artist View of a Super-Jupiter around a Brown Dwarf 2M1207

This is an illustration of a planet that is four times the mass of Jupiter and orbits 5 billion miles from a...

JPL
NASA image: The Universe, Summed Up in a Squiggly Line
Image
Mar 21, 2013

The Universe, Summed Up in a Squiggly Line

This graph shows the temperature differences in the oldest light in the universe, called the cosmic microwave...

JPL
NASA image: Martian Landscape in 3-D
Image
Jan 10, 2004

Martian Landscape in 3-D

This anaglyph from NASA Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, shows the rover lander and, in the background, the...

JPL
NASA image: Mimas Flat Spot
Image
Apr 11, 2011

Mimas Flat Spot

The right-hand limb of Saturn moon Mimas appears flattened as Herschel Crater is viewed edge-on in this image from...

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

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Daily curated space image

Mars Rover Photos

Curiosity & Perseverance images

Earth from Space

DSCOVR EPIC daily images

Launch Schedule

Upcoming rocket launches

Space News

Mission updates & discoveries