A spacecraft has flown past the north pole of Mercury and transmitted breathtaking images back to Earth.

2025-03-27 18:08:34

This image provided by European Space Agency shows close-up photos of Mercury's north pole taken by the European-Japanese spacecraft BepiColombo. (European Space Agency via AP) — This image released by the European Space Agency features detailed photographs of Mercury's north pole captured by the BepiColombo spacecraft, a collaboration between Europe and Japan. (European Space Agency via AP) [ASSOCIATED PRESS]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — 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 European Space Agency released the stunning snapshots Thursday, showing the permanently shadowed craters at the top of of our solar system’s smallest, innermost planet.

Cameras also recorded images of the adjacent volcanic plains and the largest impact crater on Mercury, which measures over 930 miles (1,5

A spacecraft has flown past the north pole of Mercury and transmitted breathtaking images back to Earth.

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