An article I wrote for ElectronicProducts.

The cameras on NASA’s Curiosity rover snapped new pictures of an odd formation on Mars that has stirred up lots of talk. Embedded in a Martian rock, many have dubbed the strange formation a “Martian flower.”

Close-up images with a 360-degree panoramic view of the red planet’s barren surface were captured during Curiosity’s exploration. The panorama was assembled from pictures snapped by the rover’s navigation camera system, Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), on its 132nd Martian day on Mars, also known as Sol 132 or Dec. 19.

The pictures causing the hype focus on a crumpled, light object, seemingly sprouting from the surface of Yellowknife Bay on Mars. The oddity’s shape is similar to that of a flower’s pistils, which caused those who were buzzing about it over the Internet to call the discovery a “Martian flower.” Read More