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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 "butterfly"

43 results found - Page 1 of 2

NASA image: The Butterfly Vent
Image
Sep 24, 2014

The Butterfly Vent

The Butterfly Vent

JPL
NASA image: Butterfly Ejecta
Image
Sep 8, 2003

Butterfly Ejecta

Butterfly Ejecta

JPL
NASA image: Butterfly Crater
Image
Jun 3, 2014

Butterfly Crater

The ejecta pattern around this northern plains crater is termed butterfly for its similarity to butterfly wings, as...

JPL
NASA image: Hot Dog and Butterfly, Nereidum Montes
Image
Sep 16, 2000

Hot Dog and Butterfly, Nereidum Montes

Hot Dog and Butterfly, Nereidum Montes

JPL
NASA image: Butterfly Ejecta
Image
Oct 18, 2012

Butterfly Ejecta

Butterfly ejecta is the name given when a crater has two lobes of ejecta on opposite sides, with little or no ejecta...

JPL
NASA image: Creative Photography - Wildlife
Image
Mar 25, 2016

Creative Photography - Wildlife

A black swallowtail butterfly enjoys a snack from a blooming lantana plant at Merritt Island National Wildlife...

KSC
NASA image: Creative Photography - Wildlife
Image
Mar 25, 2016

Creative Photography - Wildlife

Thistle blooms provide a midday meal for a gulf fritillary butterfly at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in...

KSC
NASA image: Space Butterfly
Image
Mar 27, 2019

Space Butterfly

What looks like a red butterfly in space is in reality a nursery for hundreds of baby stars, revealed in this...

JPL
NASA image: Hubble Sees the Wings of a Butterfly: The Twin Jet Nebula
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Hubble Sees the Wings of a Butterfly: The Twin Jet Nebula

The shimmering colors visible in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image show off the remarkable complexity of...

GSFC
NASA image: Helena and Laelia Craters
Image
May 7, 2012

Helena and Laelia Craters

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows Helena crater, which is the crater that resembles the...

JPL
NASA image: jsc2020e002696
Image
Aug 13, 2019

jsc2020e002696

Dr. Ashot Sargsyan demonstrates the use of the Butterfly iQ for cardiac imaging.

JSC
NASA image: Butterfly Crater
Image
Jun 4, 2014

Butterfly Crater

This image captured by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the same crater as yesterday IR image.

JPL
NASA image: Earth Day Blog Post
Image
Apr 11, 2019

Earth Day Blog Post

A newly released butterfly sits in a cluster of flowers at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Kennedy kicked...

KSC
NASA image: Earth Day Blog Post
Image
Apr 11, 2019

Earth Day Blog Post

A butterfly sits in the palm of a visitor’s hand at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Kennedy...

KSC
NASA image: Earth Day Blog Post
Image
Apr 11, 2019

Earth Day Blog Post

A butterfly perches on a visitor’s finger at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Kennedy kicked off...

KSC
NASA image: Expedition 21 FE Thirsk installs the new CSI-03
Image
Nov 18, 2009

Expedition 21 FE Thirsk installs the new CSI-03

ISS021-E-029873 (18 Nov. 2009) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 21 flight engineer,...

JSC
NASA image: Earth Day Blog Post
Image
Apr 11, 2019

Earth Day Blog Post

A newly released butterfly sits in a cluster of flowers at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Kennedy kicked...

KSC
NASA image: Earth Day Blog Post
Image
Apr 11, 2019

Earth Day Blog Post

A visitor transfers a butterfly to a cluster of flowers during one of many butterfly releases held throughout the...

KSC
NASA image: Expedition 21 FE Thirsk installs the new CSI-03
Image
Nov 18, 2009

Expedition 21 FE Thirsk installs the new CSI-03

ISS021-E-029871 (18 Nov. 2009) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 21 flight engineer,...

JSC
NASA image: Cydonia Craters
Image
Mar 22, 2003

Cydonia Craters

In this image from NASA Mars Odyssey, eroded mesas and secondary craters dot the landscape in an area of Cydonia...

JPL
NASA image: Venus - Impact Crater in Eastern Navka Region
Image
Nov 20, 1996

Venus - Impact Crater in Eastern Navka Region

This Magellan image, which is 50 kilometers (31 miles) in width and 80 kilometers (50 miles) in length, is centered...

JPL
NASA image: A butterfly photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign
Image
Mar 4, 2004

A butterfly photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

A butterfly photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004...

AFRC
NASA image: Doublet Crater
Image
Jul 19, 2018

Doublet Crater

This VIS image shows a double impact - two meteors hitting simultaneously. The two meteors would have started as a...

JPL
NASA image: Utopia Planitia Crater
Image
Dec 18, 2023

Utopia Planitia Crater

This unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia is shaped like a peanut shell, with an indentation in the crater rim at 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

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Daily curated space image

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