# Earth from space: free photos from orbit

> Free photos of Earth taken from orbit by the ISS, satellites and Apollo: city lights at night, storms, coastlines and sunrise over the horizon, from NASA.

15 images from 2 sources (Wikimedia Commons 14, NASA Image and Video Library 1), updated 2026-11-03. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily.

- Same search in the browser: https://image.shep.bot/search?q=earth+from+space&category=space.earth
- Same search over the API: `curl "https://image.shep.bot/v1/search?q=earth+from+space&category=space.earth"`
- Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://image.shep.bot/v1/images/{id}` with an id from the table below.
- Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for commercial use; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. "(editorial)" means people, insignia or brands appear without releases: not for ads. See https://image.shep.bot/docs/licences.md
- Images are never re-hosted: thumbnails, previews and downloads come straight from the source sites.

## The planet from above

Astronauts on the International Space Station photograph Earth every day: coastlines, deserts, hurricanes, auroras and the lights of cities at night. NASA's satellites add whole-planet composites such as the Blue Marble, and the Apollo missions took the first photos of Earth from deep space.

These pages collect them from the NASA Image and Video Library and Wikimedia Commons.

## Using them

Earth-from-orbit photos are among the most useful space images for design: no people or logos, dramatic colour, and space around the subject for text. Credit NASA (or the crew photographer, such as *NASA/ISS Expedition 70*), and avoid using them in a way that implies NASA endorses your product.

## Images

| ImageAsset | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Earth Observation from the International Space Station](https://images.nasa.gov/details/iss045e013851) | `nasa:iss045e013851` | Earth from space, Photo, 4928 × 3280, 2015 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Earth from space, hurricane](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_from_space,_hurricane.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Earth_from_space,_hurricane.jpg` | Earth from space, 12333 × 12225, square, 2011 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [First photograph of Earth from space 24 October 1946](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_photograph_of_Earth_from_space_24_October_1946.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:First_photograph_of_Earth_from_space_24_October_1946.jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, Black & white, 1440 × 1138, 1946 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [First color image of the earth from outer space (Dodge Satellite)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_color_image_of_the_earth_from_outer_space_(Dodge_Satellite).png) | `wikimediacommons:First_color_image_of_the_earth_from_outer_space_(Dodge_Satellite).png` | Earth from space, Photo, 1494 × 1536, square, 1967 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [ISS001-E-5011 - First Image of Earth from the International Space Station (972)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS001-E-5011_-_First_Image_of_Earth_from_the_International_Space_Station_(972).jpg) | `wikimediacommons:ISS001-E-5011_-_First_Image_of_Earth_from_the_International_Space_Station_(972).jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, 1530 × 1018, 2000 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [North America from low orbiting satellite Suomi NPP](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_America_from_low_orbiting_satellite_Suomi_NPP.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:North_America_from_low_orbiting_satellite_Suomi_NPP.jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, 8000 × 8000, square, 2012 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Earth from space (7628218100)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_from_space_(7628218100).jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Earth_from_space_(7628218100).jpg` | Earth from space, 4000 × 2667, 2012 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Earth from space (banner esVoy)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_from_space_(banner_esVoy).jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Earth_from_space_(banner_esVoy).jpg` | Earth from space, 4096 × 1366, 2000 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [1960- First “television” picture of Earth from space (TIROS-1)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1960-_First_%E2%80%9Ctelevision%E2%80%9D_picture_of_Earth_from_space_(TIROS-1).jpg) | `wikimediacommons:1960-_First_“television”_picture_of_Earth_from_space_(TIROS-1).jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, 590 × 658, vertical, 2026 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [First Color Photograph of Earth from Space](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Color_Photograph_of_Earth_from_Space.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:First_Color_Photograph_of_Earth_from_Space.jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, 3000 × 1565, 2009 | Wikimedia Commons | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [First photo from space](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_photo_from_space.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:First_photo_from_space.jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, Black & white, 2048 × 1619, 1946 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Good Morning From the International Space Station](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Good_Morning_From_the_International_Space_Station.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Good_Morning_From_the_International_Space_Station.jpg` | Earth from space, 4928 × 3280, 2015 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Earth from Space with Stars (6143809369)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_from_Space_with_Stars_(6143809369).jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Earth_from_Space_with_Stars_(6143809369).jpg` | Earth from space, 1500 × 1500, square, 2011 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Dramatic Views of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station From 9 12 (42828603210) (cropped)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dramatic_Views_of_Hurricane_Florence_from_the_International_Space_Station_From_9_12_(42828603210)_(cropped).jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Dramatic_Views_of_Hurricane_Florence_from_the_International_Space_Station_From_9_12_(42828603210)_(cropped).jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, 4750 × 3250, 2018 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Etna eruption seen from the International Space Station](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Etna_eruption_seen_from_the_International_Space_Station.jpg) | `wikimediacommons:Etna_eruption_seen_from_the_International_Space_Station.jpg` | Earth from space, Photo, 2720 × 2000, 2002 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |

## Questions

**Is the Blue Marble photo free to use?**

Yes. NASA's Blue Marble images are US government works; credit NASA and don't imply endorsement.

**Which images show Earth at night?**

Search 'earth at night' or 'city lights': astronauts on the ISS photograph cities, and NASA's Black Marble composites show the whole planet.

## Related collections

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- [Free Mars photos from rovers and orbiters](https://image.shep.bot/collections/mars-photos.md): Free photos of Mars from NASA's rovers and orbiters: Perseverance and Curiosity panoramas, craters, dunes and the planet from orbit, with NASA's credits.
- [Free 4K nature photos: mountains, lakes, coasts](https://image.shep.bot/collections/free-4k-nature-photos.md): Free high-resolution nature photos, at least 4K on the short side: mountains, lakes, coasts and forests, with the licence and credit line on every image.

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Source: https://image.shep.bot/collections/earth-from-space-photos