Nasa Images Scraper

Search and extract NASA images, videos, and audio with full metadata from NASA's public media library of 140,000+ assets. Get high-resolution image URLs, descriptions, keywords, dates, and photographer information.

What does NASA Images Scraper do?

NASA Images Scraper uses NASA's official Images API to search and extract media assets with rich metadata. For each result, it returns the title, description, NASA ID, creation date, NASA center, keywords, photographer, and direct URLs to images at multiple resolutions.

The scraper supports images, videos, and audio content, with optional date range filtering.

Why scrape NASA images?

NASA's media library is one of the world's most valuable public image collections. Use cases include:

• Content creation — access high-quality space imagery for articles, presentations, and educational content
• Dataset construction — build labeled image datasets for machine learning and computer vision
• Research — gather space mission imagery and documentation for academic work
• Educational platforms — populate astronomy and science courses with authentic NASA imagery
• Media projects — find high-resolution photos for documentaries, exhibits, and publications
• Archive analysis — study NASA's visual documentation across decades of missions

How much does it cost?

NASA Images Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing:

Event	Price
Run started	$0.001
Media item extracted	$0.001 per item

Example costs:

• 20 Mars rover images: ~$0.021
• 100 Hubble telescope photos: ~$0.101
• 500 items across 5 search terms: ~$0.506

Platform costs are minimal — under $0.002 per typical run. NASA's API is free and requires no authentication.

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
searchQueries	string[]	Keywords to search in NASA's media library	Required
mediaType	string	Filter by type: image, video, audio, or all types	image
yearStart	integer	Filter results from this year onwards	-
yearEnd	integer	Filter results up to this year	-
maxResults	integer	Maximum media items per keyword (1–500)	50

Input example

{
  "searchQueries": ["mars rover", "hubble telescope"],
  "mediaType": "image",
  "maxResults": 20
}

Output example

Each media item is returned as a JSON object:

{
  "nasaId": "PIA07081",
  "title": "Mars Rover Studies Soil on Mars",
  "description": "This image shows Spirit's first-ever look at the Martian terrain...",
  "mediaType": "image",
  "dateCreated": "2004-11-30T18:00:00Z",
  "center": "JPL",
  "keywords": ["Mars", "Mars Exploration Rover", "Spirit"],
  "photographer": "",
  "location": "Mars",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA07081/PIA07081~thumb.jpg",
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA07081/PIA07081~orig.jpg",
    "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA07081/PIA07081~large.jpg",
    "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA07081/PIA07081~medium.jpg"
  ],
  "detailUrl": "https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA07081",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-03-03T04:28:00.000Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Description
nasaId	string	NASA's unique media identifier
title	string	Media title
description	string	Full description text
mediaType	string	Type: image, video, or audio
dateCreated	string	Original creation/capture date
center	string	NASA center (JPL, GSFC, KSC, etc.)
keywords	string[]	Subject keywords/tags
photographer	string	Photographer or creator name
location	string	Location where media was captured
thumbnailUrl	string	URL to thumbnail image
imageUrls	string[]	URLs to media files at various resolutions
detailUrl	string	Link to NASA Images detail page
scrapedAt	string	ISO timestamp when data was extracted

How to use the NASA Images API

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")

run = client.actor("automation-lab/nasa-images-scraper").call(run_input={
    "searchQueries": ["james webb telescope"],
    "mediaType": "image",
    "maxResults": 50,
})

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(f"{item['title']}")
    print(f"  Date: {item['dateCreated'][:10]} | Center: {item['center']}")
    print(f"  Keywords: {', '.join(item['keywords'][:5])}")
    if item['imageUrls']:
        print(f"  Image: {item['imageUrls'][0]}")

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/nasa-images-scraper').call({
    searchQueries: ['james webb telescope'],
    mediaType: 'image',
    maxResults: 50,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach(item => {
    console.log(`${item.title} (${item.dateCreated.slice(0, 10)})`);
    console.log(`  ${item.imageUrls[0] || item.thumbnailUrl}`);
});

REST API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab/nasa-images-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "searchQueries": ["mars rover"],
    "mediaType": "image",
    "maxResults": 20
  }'

Integrations

Connect NASA Images Scraper to hundreds of apps:

• Google Sheets — export image metadata to spreadsheets
• Slack / Microsoft Teams — notifications when scraping completes
• Zapier / Make — trigger workflows with NASA image data
• Amazon S3 / Google Cloud Storage — store datasets and download images
• Webhook — send results to your own API

Tips and best practices

1. Use specific keywords — "Perseverance Mars 2021" returns more targeted results than just "Mars".
2. Date filtering — use yearStart and yearEnd to focus on specific missions or time periods.
3. Media types — search for video or audio to find NASA press conferences, launch footage, and mission audio.
4. Multiple resolutions — the imageUrls field includes URLs from thumbnail to original resolution. Use the ~orig suffix URL for highest quality.
5. NASA centers — filter results by center field: JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab), GSFC (Goddard), KSC (Kennedy), JSC (Johnson), etc.
6. Keywords field — NASA's own subject tags are in the keywords array — useful for categorization and filtering.
7. Public domain — most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use.

FAQ

Q: Are NASA images free to use? A: Most NASA media is in the public domain and not copyrighted. However, some images (especially those with identifiable people) may have usage restrictions.

Q: How far back does the archive go? A: NASA's archive includes media from the 1920s to present day, covering the entire history of American space exploration.

Q: Can I download the actual images? A: Yes. The imageUrls field contains direct download links at multiple resolutions. The ~orig suffix URL provides the original full-resolution file.

Q: Does it need an API key? A: No. NASA's Images API is completely free and open — no authentication required.