List of maria on the Moon
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Lakes
(singular mare) on the Moon
. It also includes the one oceanus and the features known by the names lacus, palus and sinus. The modern system of lunar nomenclature was introduced in 1651 by Riccioli
. Riccioli's map of the moon was drawn by Francesco Maria Grimaldi
, who has a crater named after him.
There was also a region on the Lunar farside that was briefly misidentified as a mare and named Mare Desiderii
(Sea of Dreams). It is no longer recognized. Other former maria include:
"), which are smaller basaltic plains of similar origin:
Some sources also list a Palus Nebularum ("Marsh of Mists") at 38.0° N, 1.0° E. However the designation for this feature has not been officially recognized by the IAU
.
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
(singular mare) on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. It also includes the one oceanus and the features known by the names lacus, palus and sinus. The modern system of lunar nomenclature was introduced in 1651 by Riccioli
Giovanni Battista Riccioli
Giovanni Battista Riccioli was an Italian astronomer and a Catholic priest in the Jesuit order...
. Riccioli's map of the moon was drawn by Francesco Maria Grimaldi
Francesco Maria Grimaldi
Francesco Maria Grimaldi was an Italian Jesuit priest, mathematician and physicist who taught at the Jesuit college in Bologna....
, who has a crater named after him.
Maria and Oceanus
| Mare Anguis Mare Anguis Mare Anguis is a lunar mare located on the near side of the Moon, about 150 kilometers in diameter. Located within the Crisium basin, Mare Anguis is a part of the Nectarian System, meaning that it was formed during the Nectarian time period. Like most mare, the surface of Mare Anguis is dark,... |
Serpent Sea | 22.6° N | 67.7° E | 150 km |
| Mare Australe Mare Australe Mare Australe is a lunar mare located in the southeastern hemisphere of the Moon. It is 603 kilometers in diameter, overlapping the near and far sides of the Moon. Smooth, dark volcanic basalt lines the bottom of the mare... |
Southern Sea | 38.9° S | 93.0° E | 603 km |
| Mare Cognitum Mare Cognitum Mare Cognitum is a lunar mare located in a basin or large crater which sits in the second ring of the Procellarum basin. The basin material is of the Lower Imbrian epoch, while the basaltic mare material is of the Upper Imbrian epoch... |
Sea that has become known | 10.0° S | 23.1° W | 376 km |
| Mare Crisium Mare Crisium Mare Crisium is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. This basin is of the Pre-Imbrian period, 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago. This mare is in diameter, and 176,000 km2 in area. It has a very flat floor, with a ring of wrinkled ridges... |
Sea of Crisis | 17.0° N | 59.1° E | 418 km |
| Mare Fecunditatis Mare Fecunditatis Mare Fecunditatis is a lunar mare which is 840 km in diameter. The Fecuditatis basin formed in the Pre-Nectarian epoch, while the basin material surrounding the mare is of the... |
Sea of Fecundity | 7.8° S | 51.3° E | 909 km |
| Mare Frigoris Mare Frigoris Mare Frigoris is a lunar mare located just north of Mare Imbrium, and stretches east to north of Mare Serenitatis. The mare is in the outer rings of the Procellarum basin... |
Sea of Cold | 56.0° N | 1.4° E | 1596 km |
| Mare Humboldtianum Mare Humboldtianum Mare Humboldtianum is a lunar mare located within the Humboldtianum basin, just to the east of Mare Frigoris. It is located along the northeastern limb of the Moon, and continues on to the far side... |
Sea of Alexander von Humboldt Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt... |
56.8° N | 81.5° E | 273 km |
| Mare Humorum Mare Humorum Mare Humorum is a lunar mare. The impact basin it is located in is 825 kilometers across. It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, geological mapping indicates that it is intermediate in age between the Imbrium and Nectaris Basins, suggesting an... |
Sea of Moisture | 24.4° S | 38.6° W | 389 km |
| Mare Imbrium Mare Imbrium Mare Imbrium, Latin for "Sea of Showers" or "Sea of Rains", is a vast lunar mare filling a basin on Earth's Moon and one of the larger craters in the Solar System. Mare Imbrium was created when lava flooded the giant crater formed when a very large object hit the Moon long ago... |
Sea of Showers | 32.8° N | 15.6° W | 1123 km |
| Mare Ingenii Mare Ingenii Mare Ingenii is one of the few lunar mare features on the far side of the Moon. The mare sits in the Ingenii basin. This basin material is of the Pre-Nectarian epoch. The mare material located in Ingenii and the surrounding craters is of the Upper Imbrian epoch... |
Sea of Cleverness | 33.7° S | 163.5° E | 318 km |
| Mare Insularum Mare Insularum Mare Insularum is a lunar mare located in the Insularum basin just south of Mare Imbrium. The basin material is of the Lower Imbrian epoch, with the mare material of the Upper Imbrian epoch. The mare is bordered by the craters Copernicus on the east, and Kepler on the west... |
Sea of Islands | 7.5° N | 30.9° W | 513 km |
| Mare Marginis Mare Marginis Mare Marginis is a lunar mare that lies on the very edge of the lunar nearside. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are 13.3° N, 86.1° E, and the diameter is 420 km. The name is Latin for "Sea of the Edge".... |
Sea of the Edge | 13.3° N | 86.1° E | 420 km |
| Mare Moscoviense Mare Moscoviense Mare Moscoviense is a lunar mare that sits in the Moscoviense basin. It is one of the very few maria on the far side of the Moon. Like Mare Marginis, this mare appears to be fairly thin. However, it is clearly centered within a large impact basin... |
Sea of Muscovy Muscovy (disambiguation) Muscovy is a historical European term for the Principality of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Moscow... |
27.3° N | 147.9° E | 277 km |
| Mare Nectaris Mare Nectaris The Sea of Nectar is a small lunar mare or sea located between the Sea of Tranquillity and the Sea of Fecundity . Montes Pyrenaeus borders the mare to the west and the large crater near the south center of the mare is known as Rosse... |
Sea of Nectar | 15.2° S | 35.5° E | 333 km |
| Mare Nubium Mare Nubium Mare Nubium is a lunar mare in the Nubium basin on the Moon's near side. The mare is located just to the southeast of Oceanus Procellarum. The actual basin is believed to be of Pre-Nectarian system, with the surrounding basin material being of the Lower Imbrian epoch. The mare material is of the... |
Sea of Clouds | 21.3° S | 16.6° W | 715 km |
| Mare Orientale Mare Orientale Mare Orientale is one of the most striking large scale lunar features, resembling a target ring bull's-eye. Located on the extreme western edge of the lunar nearside, this impact basin is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective.Material from this basin was not sampled by the Apollo program... |
Eastern Sea | 19.4° S | 92.8° W | 327 km |
| Mare Serenitatis Mare Serenitatis Mare Serenitatis is a lunar mare that sits just to the east of Mare Imbrium on the Moon.It is located within the Serenitatis basin, which is of the Nectarian epoch. The material surrounding the mare is of the Lower Imbrian epoch, while the mare material is of the Upper Imbrian epoch... |
Sea of Serenity | 28.0° N | 17.5° E | 707 km |
| Mare Smythii Mare Smythii Mare Smythii is a lunar mare located along the equator on the easternmost edge of the lunar near side. The Smythii basin where the mare is located is of the Pre-Nectarian epoch, while the surrounding features are of the Nectarian system... |
Sea of William Henry Smyth William Henry Smyth William Henry Smyth was an English sailor, hydrographer, astronomer and numismatist.-Private Life:... |
1.3° N | 87.5° E | 373 km |
| Mare Spumans Mare Spumans Mare Spumans is a lunar mare located just south of Mare Undarum on the lunar near side. It is one of the many elevated lakes contained in the Crisium basin, surrounding Mare Crisium. The surrounding basin material is of the Nectarian epoch, while the mare basalt being of the Upper Imbrian epoch... |
Foaming Sea | 1.1° N | 65.1° E | 139 km |
| Mare Tranquillitatis Mare Tranquillitatis Mare Tranquillitatis is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. The mare material within the basin consists of basalt formed in the intermediate to young age group of the Upper Imbrian epoch. The surrounding mountains are thought to be of the Lower Imbrian epoch, but... |
Sea of Tranquility | 8.5° N | 31.4° E | 873 km |
| Mare Undarum Mare Undarum Mare Undarum is an uneven lunar mare located just north of Mare Spumans on the lunar near side, between the crater Firmicus and the eastern limb. It is one of the many elevated lakes contained in the Crisium basin, surrounding Mare Crisium. The selenographic coordinates of this mare are 6.8° N,... |
Sea of Waves | 6.8° N | 68.4° E | 243 km |
| Mare Vaporum Mare Vaporum Mare Vaporum is a lunar mare located between the southwest rim of Mare Serenitatis and the southeast rim of Mare Imbrium. The lunar material surrounding the mare is from the Lower Imbrian epoch, and the mare material is from the Eratosthenian epoch. The mare lies in an old basin or crater that is... |
Sea of Vapors | 13.3° N | 3.6° E | 245 km |
| Oceanus Procellarum Oceanus Procellarum Oceanus Procellarum is a vast lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of the Earth's Moon. Its name derives from the old superstition that its appearance during the second quarter heralded bad weather... |
Ocean of Storms | 18.4° N | 57.4° W | 2568 km |
There was also a region on the Lunar farside that was briefly misidentified as a mare and named Mare Desiderii
Mare Desiderii
Mare Desiderii was an area of the Moon named after Luna 3 returned the first pictures of the far side. This name is derived from the Russian Море Мечты, Mechta being the original name for the Luna 1 spacecraft....
(Sea of Dreams). It is no longer recognized. Other former maria include:
- Mare Parvum ("Small Sea"), immediately to the east of InghiramiInghirami (crater)Inghirami is a lunar impact crater that is located toward the southwestern limb of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the large walled plain Schickard. Northwest of Inghirami is the wide Vallis Inghirami, a wide, straight valley that is radial to the Mare Orientale impact basin...
- Mare Incognitum ("Unknown Sea")
- Mare Novum ("New Sea"), northeast of PlutarchPlutarch (crater)Plutarch is a lunar impact crater that lies near the north-northeastern limb of the Moon, just to the south of the irregular crater Seneca. To the southeast is the flooded crater Cannon...
- Mare Struve ("Struve's Sea"), near MessalaMessala (crater)Messala is a lunar crater of sufficient dimension to belong to the category of impact features known as walled plains. It is located in the northeastern part of the Moon, close enough to the rim to appear significantly foreshortened. Nearly attached to the northern rim is the crater Schumacher...
Lacus
A related set of features are the Lunar lacus (singular lacus, Latin for "lakeLake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
"), which are smaller basaltic plains of similar origin:
| Latin Name | English Name | Lat. | Long. | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lacus Aestatis Lacus Aestatis Lacus Aestatis consists of two relatively small areas of lunar mare located near the western limb of the Moon. The selenograpic coordinates of this feature are 15.0° S, 69.0° W, and it lies within a diameter of 90 km... |
Lake of Summer | 15.0° S | 69.0° W | 90 km |
| Lacus Autumni Lacus Autumni Lacus Autumni is a region of lunar mare that lies near the western limb of the Moon. Along this side of the lunar surface is a huge impact basin centered on the Mare Orientale. Two concentric mountain rings surround the Orientale mare, the inner ring being named Montes Rook and an outer ring... |
Lake of Autumn | 9.9° S | 83.9° W | 183 km |
| Lacus Bonitatis Lacus Bonitatis Lacus Bonitatis is a small lunar mare that lies to the northwest of the prominent crater Macrobius. Further to the north of Lacus Bonitatis is the Montes Taurus mountain range.... |
Lake of Goodness | 23.2° N | 43.7° E | 92 km |
| Lacus Doloris Lacus Doloris Lacus Doloris is a small lunar mare located in the Terra Nivium region at 17.1° N, 9.0° E. It is 110 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Sorrow | 17.1° N | 9.0° E | 110 km |
| Lacus Excellentiae Lacus Excellentiae Lacus Excellentiae is a relatively small, irregular lunar mare in the southern latitudes of the Moon, amidst the rugged terrain to the south of the larger Mare Humorum. The most prominent feature within the diameter of this basin is the small crater Clausius.The selenographic coordinates of this... |
Lake of Excellence | 35.4° S | 44.0° W | 184 km |
| Lacus Felicitatis Lacus Felicitatis Lacus Felicitatis is a small patch of the lunar surface that has been inundated by flows of lava, leaving a level patch with a lower albedo than the surrounding ground. It is located in Terra Nivium, an area of continental ground to the north of the Mare Vaporum... |
Lake of Happiness | 19.0° N | 5.0° E | 90 km |
| Lacus Gaudii Lacus Gaudii Lacus Gaudii is a small lunar mare in the Terra Nivium region of the Moon. It is located at 16.2° N, 12.6° E and is 113 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Joy | 16.2° N | 12.6° E | 113 km |
| Lacus Hiemalis Lacus Hiemalis Lacus Hiemalis is a small lunar mare in the Terra Nivium region on the Moon. It is located at 15.0° N, 14.0° E and is 50 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Winter | 15.0° N | 14.0° E | 50 km |
| Lacus Lenitatis Lacus Lenitatis Lacus Lenitatis is a small lunar mare in the Terra Nivium region on the Moon. It is located at 14.0° N, 12.0° E and is 80 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Softness | 14.0° N | 12.0° E | 80 km |
| Lacus Luxuriae Lacus Luxuriae Lacus Luxuriae is a small lunar mare on the Moon. It is located at 19.0° N, 176.0° E and is 50 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Luxury | 19.0° N | 176.0° E | 50 km |
| Lacus Mortis Lacus Mortis Lacus Mortis, latin for "Lake of Death", is a plain of basaltic lava flows in the northeastern part of the Moon. It lies just to the south of the elongated Mare Frigoris, being separated by a slender arm of rugged ground... |
Lake of Death | 45.0° N | 27.2° E | 151 km |
| Lacus Oblivionis Lacus Oblivionis Lacus Oblivionis is a small lunar mare on the surface of the Moon. It is located at 21.0° S, 168.0° W and is 50 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Forgetfulness | 21.0° S | 168.0° W | 50 km |
| Lacus Odii Lacus Odii Lacus Odii is a small lunar mare in the Terra Nivium region on the Moon. It is located at 19.0° N, 7.0° E and is 70 km in diameter.... |
Lake of Hatred | 19.0° N | 7.0° E | 70 km |
| Lacus Perseverantiae Lacus Perseverantiae Lacus Perseverantiae is a small lunar mare extending westward from the northwestern exterior of the crater Firmicus, with smaller extensions to the northeast and northwest at the eastern terminus. Its name is Latin for Lake of Perseverance... |
Lake of Perseverance | 8.0° N | 62.0° E | 70 km |
| Lacus Solitudinis Lacus Solitudinis Lacus Solitudinis is a small lunar mare on the far side of the Moon. The selenographic coordinates of the lake are 27.8° S, 104.3° E, and it lies within a diameter of 139 km. It forms an arcing feature with the concave side oriented to the northwest... |
Lake of Solitude | 27.8° S | 104.3° E | 139 km |
| Lacus Somniorum Lacus Somniorum Lacus Somniorum is a plain located in the northeastern part of the Moon's near side. It is located at selenographic coordinates 38.0° N, 29.2° E, and has a diameter of 384 kilometers... |
Lake of Dreams | 38.0° N | 29.2° E | 384 km |
| Lacus Spei Lacus Spei Lacus Spei is a small lunar mare that is located in the northeastern part of the Moon's near side. To the north is the crater Mercurius and to the west-southwest lies Schumacher.... |
Lake of Hope | 43.0° N | 65.0° E | 80 km |
| Lacus Temporis Lacus Temporis Lacus Temporis is a small lunar mare that is located in the northeastern quadrant of the Moon's near side. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are , and it lies within a diameter of 117 km.... |
Lake of Time | 45.9° N | 58.4° E | 117 km |
| Lacus Timoris Lacus Timoris Lacus Timoris is a small lunar mare on the Moon. It is located at 38.8° S, 27.3° W and is 117 km in diameter. It was discovered in 1976 and its name was approved by the International Astronomical Union at a meeting in Grenoble.... |
Lake of Fear | 38.8° S | 27.3° W | 117 km |
| Lacus Veris Lacus Veris Lacus Veris is a small lunar mare on the Moon. In selenographic coordinates, the mare centered at 16.5° S, 86.1° W and lies within a 396 km in diameter. The mare extends along an irregular 90° arc from east to north that is centered on the Mare Orientale, covering an area of about... |
Lake of Spring | 16.5° S | 86.1° W | 396 km |
Sinus and Paludes
A related set of features are the sinus (singular sinus, Latin for "bay") and paludes (singular palus, Latin for "marsh"):| Latin Name | English Name | Lat. | Long. | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palus Epidemiarum Palus Epidemiarum Palus Epidemiarum is a small lunar mare in the southwestern part of the Moon's near side. It lies to the southwest of Mare Nubium, and southeast of Mare Humorum... |
Marsh of Epidemics | 32.0° S | 28.2° W | 286 km |
| Palus Putredinis Palus Putredinis Palus Putredinus is an area of the lunar surface that stretches from the crater Archimedes southeast toward the rugged Montes Apenninus range located on the southeastern edge of Mare Imbrium. This region is a nearly level, lava-flooded plain bounded by the crater Autolycus to the north and the... |
Marsh of Decay | 26.5° N | 0.4° E | 161 km |
| Palus Somni Palus Somni Palus Somni is an area on the Moon of relatively level but somewhat uneven terrain that lies along the northeastern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis and the Sinus Concordiae. It has selenographic coordinates 14.1° N, 45.0° E, and has a diameter of 143 km.The surface of this feature has low ridges and... |
Marsh of Sleep | 14.1° N | 45.0° E | 143 km |
| Sinus Aestuum Sinus Aestuum Sinus Aestuum forms a northeastern extension to Mare Insularum. It has selenographic coordinates 10.9° N, 8.8° W, and it lies within a diameter of 290 km.... |
Seething Bay | 10.9° N | 8.8° W | 290 km |
| Sinus Amoris Sinus Amoris Sinus Amoris extends northward from the northeast end of the Mare Tranquillitatis. It is located at selenographic coordinates 18.1° N, 39.1° E, and lies within a diameter of 130 km. To the north of the bay are the jumbled Montes Taurus peaks.Near the southern end of the bay where it outlets... |
Bay of Love | 18.1° N | 39.1° E | 130 km |
| Sinus Asperitatis Sinus Asperitatis Sinus Asperitatis is an area of lunar mare that extends southward from the Mare Tranquillitatis until it joins the Mare Nectaris to the southeast. It is bordered along the western and eastern sides by continental regions of irregular terrain... |
Bay of Roughness | 3.8° S | 27.4° E | 206 km |
| Sinus Concordiae Sinus Concordiae Sinus Concordiae is a bay on the Moon that lies along the eastern edge of the Mare Tranquillitatis. Along its northern border is an area called the Palus Somni, while the southern border is an area of irregular terrain that contains the ruined crater Da Vinci... |
Bay of Harmony | 10.8° N | 43.2° E | 142 km |
| Sinus Fidei Sinus Fidei Sinus Fidei is a small basaltic mare feature in the Terra Nivium region of the Moon.... |
Bay of Trust | 18.0° N | 2.0° E | 70 km |
| Sinus Honoris Sinus Honoris Sinus Honoris is located along the western edge of the Mare Tranquillitatis located on the surface of the near side of the moon. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are 11.7° N, 18.1° E, and it has a diameter of 109 km.Sinus Honoris has a wide mouth and is bordered by uneven terrain... |
Bay of Honor | 11.7° N | 18.1° E | 109 km |
| Sinus Iridum Sinus Iridum Sinus Iridum is a plain of basaltic lava that forms a northwestern extension to the Mare Imbrium. It is surrounded from the northeast to the southwest by the Montes Jura range. The protruding part of the range at the southwest end is named Promontorium Heraclides, while that at the northeast end... |
Bay of Rainbows | 44.1° N | 31.5° W | 236 km |
| Sinus Lunicus Sinus Lunicus Sinus Lunicus is an area of lunar mare along the southeast edge of the Mare Imbrium. It is formed by the area enclosed by the prominent craters Archimedes to the southwest, Autolycus to the southeast, and Aristillus to the northeast... |
Lunik Luna 2 Luna 2 was the second of the Soviet Union's Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon. It was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon... Bay |
31.8° N | 1.4° W | 126 km |
| Sinus Medii Sinus Medii Sinus Medii is a small lunar mare that is located at the intersection of the Moon's equator and prime meridian. As seen from the Earth, this feature is located in the central part of the Moon's near side, and it is the point closest to the Earth... |
Bay of the center | 2.4° N | 1.7° E | 335 km |
| Sinus Roris Sinus Roris Sinus Roris is an extension of the northern edge of Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon. The IAU-defined selenographic coordinates of this bay are 54.0° N, 56.6° W, and the diameter is 202 km.... |
Bay of Dew | 54.0° N | 56.6° W | 202 km |
| Sinus Successus Sinus Successus The lunar feature Sinus Successus lies along the eastern edge of Mare Fecunditatis. It is an outward bulge that forms a type of bay. The selenographic coordinates of Sinus Successus are 0.9° N, 59.0° E, and the diameter is 132 km.Along the eastern edge of the bay is the flooded crater Condon,... |
Bay of Success | 0.9° N | 59.0° E | 132 km |
Some sources also list a Palus Nebularum ("Marsh of Mists") at 38.0° N, 1.0° E. However the designation for this feature has not been officially recognized by the IAU
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.
See also
- List of craters on the Moon
- List of features on the Moon
- List of mountains on the Moon
- List of valleys on the Moon
- SelenographySelenographySelenography is the study of the surface and physical features of the Moon. Historically, the principal concern of selenographists was the mapping and naming of the lunar maria, craters, mountain ranges, and other various features...