Curiosity rover finds largest field of Martian polygons yet

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered an unusually dense field of polygonal surface features on Mars, capturing a 360-degree panorama on 19 and 20 June 2026 to document the terrain.

The polygons range from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in diameter and cover the ground across the image’s center, wrapping around a sand-capped butte nicknamed “Miraflores.”

Such textures can illuminate Mars’ past environmental conditions, as polygonal patterns form through drying mud cracks, temperature cycles, compaction after burial, or shrinkage from water loss or mineral changes. Scientists will measure the polygons’ characteristics to pinpoint the exact process and to refine their understanding of Gale Crater’s geological history.

The panorama was stitched from 340 images taken by Curiosity’s Mast Camera (Mastcam) on sols 4,930 and 4,931. The rover has been ascending the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain, since 2014.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, built Curiosity and manages the mission. Malin Space Science Systems built and operates Mastcam.