For the first time since 1975, a NASA spacecraft has captured fresh images of Mercury, shedding new light on a planet that's mostly been in the dark because of its close proximity to the sun.

(MORE: Go Inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis)

(NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington)

Thanks to the MESSENGER spacecraft, the first to orbit Mercury, , according to an io9.com report. The article also states the craft intends to take another 80,000 photos or more before the mission ends.

The images' colors are enhanced, as Mercury would not appear this colorful to the human eye. According to NASA, the different colors represent the of the planet.

Prior to the MESSENGER mission, there hasn't been a NASA flyby of Mercury since the Mariner mission in 1975. The current mission is the first time a spacecraft has actually orbited the planet.

According to the MESSENGER website, imagery of 99 percent of the planet , and in the image above, one pixel represents approximately one square kilometer on Mercury.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Astronaut Captures Mesmerizing Images from Space

New York

New York City, posted on April 23, 2013. Cmdr. Chris Hadfield tweets: Incredibly clear, before the trees have filled with leaves. (Chris Hadfield/NASA)