A close-up of the polygon fractures discovered by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover highlights their honeycomb-like textures. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)NASA's Curiosity Mars rover spotted surprising shapes in the Red Planet soil while exploring a large valley.What is it?These images were captured on June 19 and 20, 2026, or the 4,930th and 4,931st Martian days of Curiosity's mission. They show honeycomb-like patterns referred to as "polygonal fractures" found in a valley on Mars known as Valle Grande. They measure about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 8 centimeters) across.While Curiosity has seen other curious geometric patterns on Mars before, scientists were surprised by this most recent find."We've seen a lot of fascinating landscapes through Curiosity's eyes, but this sea of polygons took our breath away," project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement. "We measured their shapes and chemistry carefully and are hopeful there are clues in the data as to how these features formed."
A panorama taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover showing a large field of hexagonal shapes in the Martian soil. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)Why is it incredible?This field of polygons in Valle Grande extends as far as Curiosity's instruments could see, even around the base of a steep hill scientists named "Miraflores."
