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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 "OPTICS"

1,567 results found - Page 3 of 66

NASA image: NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)

Storm in the Sargasso Sea Scientist aboard the R/V Endeavor in the Sargasso Sea put their research on hold on July...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)

What's in the Water? Robert Foster, of the City College of New York, filters seawater on July 23, 2414, for...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)

Catnap at Sea Ali Chase of the University of Maine, and Courtney Kearney of the Naval Research Laboratory, caught a...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)

Sunset Over the Gulf of Maine On July 20, 2013, scientists at sea with NASA's SABOR experiment witnessed a...

GSFC
NASA image: Biotechnology
Image
Jan 22, 2003

Biotechnology

ProVision Technologies, a NASA research partnership center at Sternis Space Center in Mississippi, has developed a...

MSFC
NASA image: Optical Composite Image of Asteroid 2017 YE5
Image
Jul 12, 2018

Optical Composite Image of Asteroid 2017 YE5

This optical composite image shows asteroid 2017 YE5, taken on June 30, 2018, by the Cadi Ayyad University Morocco...

JPL
NASA image: OCI Main Optics Bench Crane Lift
Image
Jan 19, 2022

OCI Main Optics Bench Crane Lift

Mechanical technician, Andrew Scharmann, slides a lift fixture into position to ensure the Ocean Color Instrument...

GSFC
NASA image: Cen A Optical Capella
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Cen A Optical Capella

NASA release April 1, 2010 The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5128, show here in visible light, hosts the radio source...

GSFC
NASA image: Space Science
Image
Apr 20, 1999

Space Science

NASA's Space Optics Manufacturing Technology Center has been working to expand our view of the universe via...

MSFC
NASA image: Testing Space Lasers for Deep Space Optical Communications (Mission Overview)
Video
Sep 29, 2023

Testing Space Lasers for Deep Space Optical Communications (Mission Overview)

How might lasers revolutionize deep space communications? NASA will test high-bandwidth laser (or optical)...

JPL
NASA image: Microgravity
Image
Feb 27, 1998

Microgravity

NASA research Dr. Donald Frazier uses a blue laser shining through a quartz window into a special mix of chemicals...

MSFC
NASA image: Microgravity
Image
Feb 5, 1998

Microgravity

Sections of ZBLAN fibers pulled in a conventional 1-g process (right) and in experiments aboard NASA's KC-135...

MSFC
NASA image: Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures Earth
Image
Nov 17, 2022

Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures Earth

On the second day of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission, Orion used its optical navigation camera to snap black and...

JSC
NASA image: Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures the Moon
Image
Nov 19, 2022

Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures the Moon

Orion’s black-and-white optical navigation camera captured this view of the Moon on the fourth day of the Artemis I...

JSC
NASA image: Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures Earth
Image
Nov 17, 2022

Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures Earth

On the second day of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission, Orion used its optical navigation camera to snap black and...

JSC
NASA image: NASA's Webb "Pathfinder Telescope" Successfully Completes First Super-Cold Optical Test
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's Webb "Pathfinder Telescope" Successfully Completes First Super-Cold Optical Test

Testing is crucial part of NASA's success on Earth and in space. So, as the actual flight components of NASA's James...

GSFC
NASA image: Around Marshall
Image
Jun 18, 1996

Around Marshall

NASA scientist, in the Space Sciences lab at Marshall, works with capillary optics that generate more intense X-rays...

MSFC
NASA image: OCI Fiber Optic and Photonic Team Configure Fibers
Image
Jun 21, 2021

OCI Fiber Optic and Photonic Team Configure Fibers

Alejandro Rodriguez Perez and Joe Thomes, members of the fiber optic & photonic team, configure the Ocean Color...

GSFC
NASA image: OCI Optical Module Reorientation on Rotational Fixture
Image
Jan 21, 2022

OCI Optical Module Reorientation on Rotational Fixture

Mechanical technicians reorient the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) Optical Module on a rotation fixture to allow for...

GSFC
NASA image: Space Radar Image of Long Island Optical/Radar
Image
May 1, 1999

Space Radar Image of Long Island Optical/Radar

This pair of images of the Long Island, New York region is a comparison of an optical photograph (top) and a radar...

JPL
NASA image:  NEO Surveyor's Telescope Optical Bench Under Construction at JPL
Image
Aug 28, 2024

NEO Surveyor's Telescope Optical Bench Under Construction at JPL

A technician operates articulating equipment to rotate the Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor) mission's...

JPL
NASA image: Melt Pond Optics
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Melt Pond Optics

On July 6, 2011, Don Perovich, of Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, used a spectroradiometer to...

GSFC
NASA image: Tether Optical Phenomena (TOP) experiment
Image
Mar 14, 1996

Tether Optical Phenomena (TOP) experiment

STS075-310-002 (22 Feb.-9 March 1996) --- Astronaut Maurizio Cheli, STS-75 mission specialist, works with the Tether...

JSC
NASA image: Around Marshall
Image
Mar 1, 1993

Around Marshall

The SELENE Optics project was designed to send powerful laser beams into space to repower satellites and to recharge...

MSFC
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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

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Space News

Mission updates & discoveries