Charon

VIDEO: First close-up pictures of dwarf planet Pluto

The long-awaited images were unveiled on Wednesday in Laurel, in the US state of Maryland, home to mission operations for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

A zoom-in of Pluto reveals an icy range about as high as the Rocky Mountains in the US.

On Pluto's moon, Charon, deep troughs and canyons can be seen.

Scientists reveal first close-up pictures of Pluto

The long-awaited images were unveiled Wednesday in Maryland, home to mission operations for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

A zoom-in of Pluto reveals an icy range about as high as the Rockies. To the scientists' great surprise, there are no impact craters. On Charon, deep troughs and canyons can be seen.

The images were collected as New Horizons swept within 7,700 miles of Pluto on Tuesday, becoming Pluto's first visitor in its 4.5 billion-year existence.