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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 "solar observatory"

1,978 results found - Page 4 of 83

NASA image: Sorting through Layers
Image
Mar 8, 2017

Sorting through Layers

Several small sunspots appeared this week, giving NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory a chance to illustrate their...

JPL
NASA image: Opposing Solar Prominences
Image
Nov 19, 2018

Opposing Solar Prominences

Two solar prominences, directly at opposite sides of the Sun, rose up, twisted around, and fell apart at roughly the...

JPL
NASA image: Solar Active Region's Cameo Appearance
Image
Dec 11, 2018

Solar Active Region's Cameo Appearance

The only active region observed this week appeared on Dec. 5, 2018 and grew into an average size display of dynamic...

JPL
NASA image: Emerging Coronal Hole
Image
Sep 17, 2018

Emerging Coronal Hole

The Sun already featured one good-sized coronal hole, when another larger coronal hole began to emerge and intensify...

JPL
NASA image: Criss-Crossing Lunar Transit
Image
Mar 11, 2019

Criss-Crossing Lunar Transit

On Mar. 6, 2019, SDO observed a long lunar transit - with a twist. The shadow of the Moon in SDO's images first...

JPL
NASA image: Streaming Prominence
Image
Jul 5, 2017

Streaming Prominence

A prominence at the edge of the sun provided us with a splendid view of solar plasma as it churned and streamed over...

JPL
NASA image: Small Surf
Image
Nov 4, 2016

Small Surf

A minor solar eruption triggered a crackling, white flash that sent an expanding wave of plasma below it over about...

JPL
NASA image: Delicate Ballet
Image
Feb 28, 2017

Delicate Ballet

A solar prominence gathered itself into a twisting cone, then rose up and broke apart in a delicate dance of plasma...

JPL
NASA image: Solar Highlights of 2016/2017: Twisting Solar Material
Video
Jun 24, 2016

Solar Highlights of 2016/2017: Twisting Solar Material

Solar material twists above the sun’s surface in this close-up captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on June...

GSFC
NASA image: Quick Solar Outburst
Image
Oct 23, 2017

Quick Solar Outburst

A small eruption blew a bright, disjointed stream of plasma into space (Oct. 18, 2017). The source of the blast was...

JPL
NASA image: SDO: Year 3
Video
Feb 11, 2013

SDO: Year 3

On Feb. 11, 2010, NASA launched an unprecedented solar observatory into space. The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)...

GSFC
NASA image: April 2017 Solar Flare Trio
Video
Apr 3, 2017

April 2017 Solar Flare Trio

The sun emitted a trio of mid-level solar flares on April 2-3, 2017. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which...

GSFC
NASA image: Solar Highlights of 2016/2017: Sunspot Turn Toward Earth
Video
Jun 24, 2016

Solar Highlights of 2016/2017: Sunspot Turn Toward Earth

An active region on the sun — an area of intense and complex magnetic fields — has rotated into view on the sun and...

GSFC
NASA image: New Lone Sunspot Group
Image
Jul 12, 2017

New Lone Sunspot Group

A prominence at the edge of the sun provided us with a splendid view of solar plasma as it churned and streamed over...

JPL
NASA image: Eruptive Prominence
Image
Oct 29, 2018

Eruptive Prominence

On Oct. 24-25, 2018 a solar prominence rose up above the Sun's surface, twisted and spun around, then became...

JPL
NASA image: Coronal Hole Facing Earth
Image
May 8, 2018

Coronal Hole Facing Earth

An extensive equatorial coronal hole has rotated so that it is now facing Earth (May 2-4, 2018). The dark coronal...

JPL
NASA image: Spring 2019 Eclipse Season Arrives
Image
Feb 19, 2019

Spring 2019 Eclipse Season Arrives

The SDO spacecraft is in another eclipse season as of Feb. 6, 2019. This begins a several week period when the Earth...

JPL
NASA image: SDO Observes a Partial Lunar Eclipse
Image
Nov 14, 2018

SDO Observes a Partial Lunar Eclipse

On Nov. 7, 2018 for just under an hour, SDO viewed a lunar transit, when the Moon partially blocked SDO's view of...

JPL
NASA image: Agitated Active Region
Image
Oct 11, 2016

Agitated Active Region

An active region just rotating into view gave us a perfect view of the tussle of magnetic field lines above it (Oct....

JPL
NASA image: Small Prominences
Image
Dec 24, 2018

Small Prominences

The sun sported four smallish prominences along its edge at about the same time (Dec. 12-14, 2018). They were at the...

JPL
NASA image: Active Region Coming Around the Bend
Image
Apr 23, 2018

Active Region Coming Around the Bend

A good-sized active region with bright, towering arches began to rotate into view (Apr. 18-19, 2018). The arches...

JPL
NASA image: Central Coronal Hole
Image
Nov 12, 2018

Central Coronal Hole

The most distinctive feature on the Sun this week was a good-sized coronal hole at a slanted angle nearly centered...

JPL
NASA image: Spotless February
Image
Mar 4, 2019

Spotless February

For the first time in a long time the Sun has gone an entire month without any sunspots (Feb. 1-18, 2019). To put...

JPL
NASA image: SDO Saw Only a Partial Eclipse
Image
Aug 23, 2017

SDO Saw Only a Partial Eclipse

Millions of excited people in the U.S. traveled many miles see a total eclipse, and what a show it was. The SDO...

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

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DSCOVR EPIC daily images

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Space News

Mission updates & discoveries