421 objects · real imagery
The Gallery
Real, openly-licensed photographs of the Universe — galaxies, nebulae, planets, moons, telescopes and missions — each depicting the actual object, credited and linked to its page.
Galaxies
Spiral, elliptical and interacting galaxies across the visible and infrared spectrum.
The Milky WayMilky Way Untangled
NASA media (public domain)ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech
Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda Galaxy
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/California Institute of Technology
Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum Galaxy Imaged by Herschel, Planck, IRAS, COBE
NASA media (public domain)ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/GBT/VLA/IRAM/C. Clark (STScI)
Whirlpool GalaxyWhirlpool Galaxy
NASA media (public domain)NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA Acknowledgement: N. Scoville Caltech and T. Rector NOAO
Sombrero GalaxyThe Sombrero Galaxy Split Personality
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech
Large Magellanic CloudThe Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Johnson
Nebulae
Star-forming regions, planetary nebulae and supernova remnants from Hubble and Webb.
Carina Nebula / NGC 3324Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula
NASA media (public domain)NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Eagle Nebula / Messier 16Pillars of Creation
NASA media (public domain)NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Orion NebulaOrion Nebula and Bow Shock
NASA media (public domain)NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA
Crab NebulaMost Detailed Image of the Crab Nebula
NASA media (public domain)NASA/ESA/JPL/Arizona State Univ.
Ring NebulaRing Beholds a Delicate Flower
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
Lagoon NebulaInto the Depths of the Lagoon Nebula
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech
Star clusters
Open and globular clusters — dense cities of stars.
The PleiadesStar Cluster Overshadowed by Infrared Objects
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
The HyadesHyades cluster
CC BY-SANASA, ESA, and STScI
Omega CentauriOmega Centauri Looks Radiant in Infrared
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/NOAO/AURA/NSF
Wishing Well ClusterWishing Well cluster New Horizons
Public domainNASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
h Persei ClusterThe Double Cluster in Perseus - Flickr - gjdonatiello
CC0Giuseppe Donatiello from Oria (Brindisi), Italy
Pearl ClusterHubble Sees Spiral Bridge of Young Stars Between Two Ancient Galaxies
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Planets & dwarf planets
The worlds of the Solar System, portrayed by orbiters, flybys and Hubble.
EarthBlue Marble Earth
NASA media (public domain)NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
JupiterHubble Close-up Portrait of Jupiter
NASA media (public domain)NASA Goddard
SaturnCassini Global Portrait of Saturn
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Mars / Marathon ValleyHinners Point Above Marathon Valley on Mars
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.
MercuryMercury, Mercury!
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
VenusSurface Warmth on a Venus Volcano
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA
Moons
Natural satellites — from our Moon to the icy ocean worlds of the giants.
The MoonFar Side of Moon Imaged by MoonKAM
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Caltech-JPL/MIT/SRS
PhobosMartian Moon, Phobos
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
DeimosMartian Moon Deimos in High Resolution
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
IoJupiter Moon Io
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL
EuropaLooking for Eruptions at Jupiter's Moon Europa
NASA media (public domain)Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing: Brian Swift CC BY 3.0
GanymedeA Striking Crater on Jupiter's Moon Ganymede
NASA media (public domain)Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Thomas Thomopoulos © CC BY
The Sun & stars
Our star and its neighbours across ultraviolet, visible and infrared light.
SunThe Sun from Solar Dynamics Observatory
NASA media (public domain)NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory
SiriusArtemis I First Rollout
NASA media (public domain)NASA
BetelgeuseStars in Orion as Seen from Mars
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/Cornell
RigelCassini: the Profiler
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
VegaTiny Particles, So Far Away
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
PolarisThe 2.5-meter infrared telescope in the rear fuselage of NASA's SOFIA flying observatory tracked the star Polaris durin…
NASA media (public domain)NASA/AFRC
Comets & asteroids
Small bodies visited by spacecraft, and comets imaged from Earth and space.
Halley's CometLspn comet halley
Public domainNASA/W. Liller
Comet NEOWISEComet NEOWISE Discovery Images
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech
Comet Swift–TuttlePerseid Meteors and Comet Swift-Tuttle
CC BY-SAAanderson@amherst.edu
Comet Hale–BoppComet Hale-Bopp Death Valley
CC BY-SAw:User:Mkfairdpm from English Wikipedia
Comet HyakutakeComet Hyakutake C/1996 B2
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/STScI
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko - Rosetta (32755885495)
CC BYJustin Cowart
Black holes
Event-horizon-scale imagery of the Universe's most extreme objects.
Cygnus X-1 (black hole)High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Marshall
V404 CygniNASA Missions Monitor a Waking Black Hole
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
M87*M87 jet
Public domainNASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Sagittarius A*Sagittarius A*
Public domainNASA
Telescopes & observatories
The instruments that take these images — in orbit and on the ground.
Hubble Space TelescopeSaturn from Far and Near Hubble Space Telescope
NASA media (public domain)NASA, ESA and Erich Karkoschka University of Arizona
James Webb Space TelescopeBy the Dozen: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Mirrors
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Spitzer Space TelescopeSpitzer Space Telescope Ready for Launch
NASA media (public domain)NASA
Chandra X-ray ObservatoryHistory of Chandra X-Ray Observatory
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Marshall
Kepler Space TelescopeWhite Dwarfs: Small and Strong
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech
TESSTESS Spacecraft Uncrating
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Kennedy
Missions & spacecraft
The probes, rovers, spacecraft and launch vehicles of the space age.
Apollo 11Apollo 11 spacecraft pre-launch
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Johnson
Voyager 1Voyager 1 Launch 1977
NASA media (public domain)NASA/KSC
Voyager 2PIA01492
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL
New HorizonsNew Horizons Sees Pluto
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
JunoRiding Along with Juno
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/LEGO
Parker Solar ProbeParker Solar Probe Antenna Deployment
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Kennedy
Surface features
Mountains, canyons and terrains mapped across the Solar System.
Olympus MonsOlympus Mons
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/ASU
Valles MarinerisValles Marineris
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
TychoEjecta in Tycho Crater
NASA media (public domain)NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Mare TranquillitatisConstellation Region of Interest at Mare Tranquillitatis
NASA media (public domain)NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Great Red SpotJupiter Great Red Spot and South Equatorial Belt
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL
Tharsis MontesDaedalia Planum
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL/ASU
Constellations
The patterns of the night sky and their brightest stars.
Canis MajorCanis Major (cma)
CC BYIAU and Sky & Telescope
OrionOrion (ori)
CC BYIAU and Sky & Telescope
LyraLyrid of the Lake (ann22042e)
CC BYJianfeng Dai/IAU OAE
Ursa MinorBig Dipper (ann22042ah)
CC BYArya Anthony/IAU OAE
Andromeda (constellation)Andromeda annotated
CC BY-SAUser:Keilana, derived from User:Roberto Mura
Cassiopeia (constellation)Cassiopeia (cas)
CC BYIAU and Sky & Telescope
Space weather
Aurorae, solar flares and the dynamic Sun–Earth connection.
Solar WindSolar Panel Buffeted by Wind at Phoenix Site
NASA media (public domain)NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University
Solar FlareMajor Solar Flare
NASA media (public domain)NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)Bastille Day Solar Flare and a Coronal Mass Ejection
NASA media (public domain)NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory
Geomagnetic StormA wispy, multi-colored aurora created by a geomagnetic storm
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Johnson
AuroraHubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere
NASA media (public domain)NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
SunspotsOld Sunspot Returns
NASA media (public domain)NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory
Real imagery, honest provenance. Every photograph is a genuine observation from an openly-licensed or public-domain archive — NASA, ESA/Hubble, ESA/Webb, ESO, NOIRLab and Wikimedia Commons — self-hosted and optimized, with credit and licence on every image. AsteriaStar never uses AI-generated or decorative art for scientific objects. See source quality.