There has been a lot of excitement about the first glimpses of the martian arctic returned by the Phoenix lander, and particularly lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” over pictures, like the one above of so-called “polygons” on the surface. So, what’s the big deal with these polygons and how do they form? The short answer is that polygons form when soil with water in it freezes and thaws. The basic … Continue reading Polygons on Mars?!