Abstract: The gas-puff load is widely used in the Z-pinch researches because of its simple installation and excellent performance. The initial distribution of the gas-flow mass of the puff load is the most important parameter for optimizing the nozzle size structure, improving the implosion dynamics process, and finally improving the X-ray radiation yield. In this paper, the feasibility of using Rayleigh scattering to diagnose the airflow field of a gas-puff is introduced. The time-resolved images of the airflow filed have been obtained. The images show that the gas flowing from the nozzle forms a hollow shell with lower density within the length 1 cm and the flow expands in radical direction like a horn. The experimental images are compared with the calculation results using the ballistic-gas-flow model, and it is found that the model can well illustrate the flow field if the parameters are selected properly. The density of the airflow deduced from the Rayleigh scattering images is 3−4 orders of magnitude higher than the calculated results by ballistic transport model. The reason is that clusters are formed when the airflow field is in low temperature and low density, and they can greatly increase the Rayleigh scattering effect of gas flow. Nevertheless, the relative intensity distribution of the gas flow field can be obtained by the Rayleigh scattering with distinct details.