Externally Tangent M&M's

A common external tangent is a tangent that does not intersect the segment joining the centers.

When I saw my sister arranging her M&M's on the table, I immediately noticed a pattern of externally tangent circles, which are coplanar circles that are tangent to the same line (just imagine it) and point. The M&M pattern shows externally coplanar circles -- the yellow points are the points of tangency and the tangent line that the circles intersect on. And because the circles are the same radius, the six M&M's around the inner circle fit perfectly. (~IR1)