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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 "Optical"

1,567 results found - Page 1 of 66

NASA image: An Optical Illusion
Image
Jun 22, 2012

An Optical Illusion

An Optical Illusion

JPL
NASA image: NASA WISE Imager Optics
Image
Oct 13, 2009

NASA WISE Imager Optics

NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, back-end imager optics. This picture shows the imager optics...

JPL
NASA image: Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory
Image
Aug 6, 2014

Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory

NASA Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory OCTL dome is located in Table Mountain, California. It is used in...

JPL
NASA image: Optical Communications Transmitter
Image
Nov 10, 1965

Optical Communications Transmitter

S65-42598 (10 Nov. 1965) --- Douglas S. Idlly, Electromagnetic Systems Branch, Instrumentation and Electronic...

JSC
NASA image: Webb Telescope Optical Telescope Element Engineering History Presentation Supporting Video
Video
Mar 13, 2019

Webb Telescope Optical Telescope Element Engineering History Presentation Supporting Video

This is the video compliment to a presentation about the engineering history of the Webb Telescope's Optical...

GSFC
NASA image: Aerosol Optical Thickness, MODIS, 2000-2016
Video
Jul 13, 2016

Aerosol Optical Thickness, MODIS, 2000-2016

Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere are called aerosols. Examples of aerosols include...

GSFC
NASA image: New Space Telescope Optics to Find a New Earth
Image
Feb 5, 2013

New Space Telescope Optics to Find a New Earth

Next Generation PIAA mirrors were made by Tinsley and are inside the enclosure. Shows dummy set-up uning early PIAA...

ARC
NASA image: NASA Team Begins Testing of a New-Fangled Optic
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA Team Begins Testing of a New-Fangled Optic

It’s an age-old astronomical truth: To resolve smaller and smaller physical details of distant celestial objects,...

GSFC
NASA image: Miria Finckenor collects Optical Witness Samples and swab sample
Image
Feb 5, 2021

Miria Finckenor collects Optical Witness Samples and swab sample

Miria Finckenor collects Optical Witness Samples and swab samples for analysis to verify that the NEA Scout thermal...

MSFC
NASA image: Fiber Optic Production (FOP) 2
Image
Sep 28, 2018

Fiber Optic Production (FOP) 2

jsc2019e048247 (9/28/2018) — Preflight imagery of the Fiber Optic Production hardware. Physical Optics Corporation’s...

JSC
NASA image: Fiber Optic Production (FOP) 3
Image
Mar 6, 2019

Fiber Optic Production (FOP) 3

jsc2019e048245 (3/6/2019) — Preflight imagery of the Fiber Optic Production hardware. Physical Optics Corporation’s...

JSC
NASA image: Fiber Optic Production (FOP) 1
Image
Sep 28, 2018

Fiber Optic Production (FOP) 1

jsc2019e048246 (9/28/2018) — Preflight imagery of the Fiber Optic Production hardware. Physical Optics Corporation’s...

JSC
NASA image: Gaspra Optical Navigation Image
Image
Feb 8, 1996

Gaspra Optical Navigation Image

This time-exposure picture of the asteroid Gaspra and background stars is one of four optical navigation images made...

JPL
NASA image: Cen A Optical Gamma Composite
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Cen A Optical Gamma Composite

NASA release April 1, 2010 The gamma-ray output from Cen A's lobes exceeds their radio output by more than ten...

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

Cen A Optical Gamma Composite

NASA release April 1, 2010 The gamma-ray output from Cen A's lobes exceeds their radio output by more than ten...

GSFC
NASA image: Roman Coronagraph Optical Bench Assembly
Image
Dec 21, 2022

Roman Coronagraph Optical Bench Assembly

Engineer Jordan Rupp is shown at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in September 2022 with the optical bench for the...

JPL
NASA image: Microgravity
Image
May 26, 1999

Microgravity

Looking for a faster computer? How about an optical computer that processes data streams simultaneously and works...

MSFC
NASA image: ARC-1989-AC89-0069-1
Image
May 17, 1989

ARC-1989-AC89-0069-1

N-213 Laser Optics Laboratory

ARC
NASA image: Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)
Image
Aug 12, 2016

Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)

iss048e057073 (8/12/2016) --- A view of Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) installed on ExPRESS (Expedite...

JSC
NASA image: Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)
Image
Aug 6, 2016

Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)

iss048e052292 (8/6/2016) --- A view of Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) installed on ExPRESS (Expedite...

JSC
NASA image: Optical Navigation Image of Ganymede
Image
Jun 6, 1996

Optical Navigation Image of Ganymede

NASA Galileo spacecraft, now in orbit around Jupiter, returned this optical navigation image June 3, 1996, showing...

JPL
NASA image: ARC-1989-AC89-0069-2
Image
May 17, 1989

ARC-1989-AC89-0069-2

N-213 Laser Optics Laboratory with Dana Lynch

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

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

Instruments Overboard On July 26, 2014, scientists worked past dusk to prepare and deploy the optical instruments...

GSFC
NASA image: ICESCAPE Optical Insturments
Image
Dec 8, 2017

ICESCAPE Optical Insturments

On July 6, 2011, ICESCAPE scientists lowered optical instruments through a hole at the bottom of a melt pond, to...

GSFC
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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

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