NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has identified a significant expanse of polygonal terrain, marking the largest concentration of such features encountered during the mission to date. The discovery was documented on June 19 and 20, 2026, corresponding to the 4,930th and 4,931st Martian days of the rover's exploration.
The observed polygons, which exhibit a honeycomb-like texture, measure between 2 and 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in diameter. These formations are situated near a sand-capped butte referred to as “Miraflores.” Researchers are currently analyzing the physical characteristics of these shapes to determine their origin, noting that such patterns can result from various environmental factors, including sediment shrinkage, temperature fluctuations, surface drying, or compaction.
The imagery was captured by the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) as Curiosity continued its climb up the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain the vehicle has been scaling since 2014. The final 360-degree panorama is a composite of 340 individual images, with colors adjusted to simulate Earth-like lighting conditions.
The Curiosity mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The Mastcam instrument was developed and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems.
Source: NASA
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