NASA scientists are getting important clues to the origin of the planet Mercury, as MESSENGER, the first spacecraft to orbit the planet, is providing ‘surprising’ data.

MESSENGER, which has been orbiting Mercury since March 18, has provided tens of thousands of images that reveal detailed features of the closest planet to the Sun and helped scientists study the surface chemical composition better, NASA said in a statement on Thursday.

Maps of the planet’s topography and magnetic field are revealing new clues to Mercury’s interior dynamical processes. And scientists now know that bursts of energetic particles in Mercury’s magnetosphere are a continuing product of the interaction of Mercury’s magnetic field with the solar wind, it said.

Many of our earlier ideas are being cast aside as new observations lead to new insights. Our primary mission has another three Mercury years to run, and we can expect more surprises as our solar system's innermost planet reveals its long-held secrets, said MESSENGER principal investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

The spacecraft orbiting Mercury has captured images that show irregular pits varying in size from several hundred feet to a few miles wide on the planet’s surface and which were not seen before.

The etched appearance of these landforms is unlike anything we've seen before on Mercury or the moon, said Brett Denevi, a MESSENGER imaging team member.

See the first ever, detailed pictures of mercury below:

NASA reveals first detailed pictures, long-held secrets of Mercury
MESSENGER’s orbital observations reveals a detailed view of the crater Degas. NASA
NASA reveals first detailed pictures, long-held secrets of Mercury
The combination photo shows schematic illustration of the operation of MESSENGER's X-ray Spectrometer (XRS). When X-rays emitted from the Sun’s corona strike the planet, they can induce X-ray fluorescence from atoms at the surface. Detection of these fluorescent X-rays by the XRS allows determination of the surface chemical composition. NASA
NASA reveals first detailed pictures, long-held secrets of Mercury
This spectacular view of the crater Degas was obtained as a high-resolution targeted observation (90 m/pixel). Impact melt coats its floor, and as the melt cooled and shrank, it formed the cracks observed across the crater. For context, Mariner 10’s view of Degas is shown at left. Degas is 52 km in diameter and is centered at 37.1° N, 232.8° E. NASA
NASA reveals first detailed pictures, long-held secrets of Mercury
High-resolution (21 m/pixel) monochrome images reveal the pits. These pits are often surrounded by diffuse halos of higher-reflectance material, and they are found associated with central peaks, peak rings, and rims of craters. The unusual etched appearance of these landforms may suggest a higher than expected volatile component in Mercury’s crust, and their sharp features are consistent with a relatively young age. NASA
NASA reveals first detailed pictures, long-held secrets of Mercury
MESSENGER’s orbital observations reveal Mercury's northern plains, and evidence for a volcanic origin in the region. Several examples of “ghost” craters, preexisting craters that were buried by the emplacement of the plains, are seen near the center of the mosaic. NASA
NASA Space NASA NASA