New images of the Mercury taken by a robotic spacecraft have just been released — and they show the scorched planet in fascinating up-close detail. The photos were released by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of BepiColombo,

A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury’s north pole. The European and Japanese robotic explorer swooped as close as 183 miles (295 kilometers) above Mercury's night side before passing directly over the planet's north pole.

The newly released images show permanently dark craters spotting the surface of the planet closest to our Sun. Nearby volcanic plains and the largest impact cater on Mercury –over 930 miles wide–are also visible.