The BepiColombo spacecraft has completed its fourth flyby of Mercury, sending back breathtaking close-up images of the scorching world. This also marks the first time Earth has received images from Mercury’s South Pole from the probe.

During this flyby, BepiColombo approached Mercury from its ‘nightside,’ the dark half of the planet, with the Sun gradually illuminating the cratered landscape as the spacecraft zoomed past.

At its closest point, BepiColombo flew just 165 kilometers, a little over 100 miles, above the planet’s surface, providing an incredibly detailed look at its rugged terrain. These images are not only visually stunning but are also critical for helping scientists better understand Mercury’s geology and evolution.