List of maria on the Moon

This is a list of maria (large, dark, basaltic plains) 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 Giovanni Battista Riccioli.^[1] Riccioli's map of the moon was drawn by Francesco Maria Grimaldi, who has a crater named after him.

Maria and Oceanus

Lunar Maria

Latin Name	English Name	Lat.	Long.	Diameter (km)
Mare Anguis	Serpent Sea	22.6° N	67.7° E	150
Mare Australe	Southern Sea	38.9° S	93.0° E	603
Mare Cognitum	Sea that has become known	10.0° S	23.1° W	376
Mare Crisium	Sea of Crises	17.0° N	59.1° E	418
Mare Fecunditatis	Sea of Fecundity	7.8° S	51.3° E	909
Mare Frigoris	Sea of Cold	56.0° N	1.4° E	1596
Mare Humboldtianum	Sea of Alexander von Humboldt	56.8° N	81.5° E	273
Mare Humorum	Sea of Moisture	24.4° S	38.6° W	389
Mare Imbrium[2]	Sea of Showers	32.8° N	15.6° W	1123
Mare Ingenii	Sea of Cleverness	33.7° S	163.5° E	318
Mare Insularum	Sea of Islands	7.5° N	30.9° W	513
Mare Marginis	Sea of the Edge	13.3° N	86.1° E	420
Mare Moscoviense	Sea of Muscovy	27.3° N	147.9° E	277
Mare Nectaris	Sea of Nectar	15.2° S	35.5° E	333
Mare Nubium	Sea of Clouds	21.3° S	16.6° W	715
Mare Orientale	Eastern Sea	19.4° S	92.8° W	327
Mare Serenitatis	Sea of Serenity	28.0° N	17.5° E	707
Mare Smythii	Smyth's Sea	1.3° N	87.5° E	373
Mare Spumans	Foaming Sea	1.1° N	65.1° E	139
Mare Tranquillitatis	Sea of Tranquility	8.5° N	31.4° E	873
Mare Undarum	Sea of Waves	6.8° N	68.4° E	243
Mare Vaporum	Sea of Vapors	13.3° N	3.6° E	245
Oceanus Procellarum	Ocean of Storms	18.4° N	57.4° W	2568

There was also a region on the Lunar farside that was briefly misidentified as a mare and named Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire). It is no longer recognized. Other former maria include:

• Mare Parvum^[3] ("Small Sea"), immediately to the east of Inghirami
• Mare Incognitum ("Unknown Sea")
• Mare Novum^[3] ("New Sea"), northeast of Plutarch
• Mare Struve ("Struve's Sea"), near Messala

Lacus

A related set of features are the Lunar lacus (singular lacus, Latin for "lake"), which are smaller basaltic plains of similar origin:

Lunar Lacus

Latin Name	English Name	Lat.	Long.	Diameter (km)
Lacus Aestatis	Lake of Summer	15.0° S	69.0° W	90
Lacus Autumni	Lake of Autumn	9.9° S	83.9° W	183
Lacus Bonitatis	Lake of Goodness	23.2° N	43.7° E	92
Lacus Doloris	Lake of Sorrow	17.1° N	9.0° E	110
Lacus Excellentiae	Lake of Excellence	35.4° S	44.0° W	184
Lacus Felicitatis	Lake of Happiness	19.0° N	5.0° E	90
Lacus Gaudii	Lake of Joy	16.2° N	12.6° E	113
Lacus Hiemalis	Lake of Winter	15.0° N	14.0° E	50
Lacus Lenitatis	Lake of Softness	14.0° N	12.0° E	80
Lacus Luxuriae	Lake of Luxury	19.0° N	176.0° E	50
Lacus Mortis	Lake of Death	45.0° N	27.2° E	151
Lacus Oblivionis	Lake of Forgetfulness	21.0° S	168.0° W	50
Lacus Odii	Lake of Hatred	19.0° N	7.0° E	70
Lacus Perseverantiae	Lake of Perseverance	8.0° N	62.0° E	70
Lacus Solitudinis	Lake of Solitude	27.8° S	104.3° E	139
Lacus Somniorum	Lake of Dreams	38.0° N	29.2° E	384
Lacus Spei	Lake of Hope	43.0° N	65.0° E	80
Lacus Temporis	Lake of Time	45.9° N	58.4° E	117
Lacus Timoris	Lake of Fear	38.8° S	27.3° W	117
Lacus Veris	Lake of Spring	16.5° S	86.1° W	396

Sinus and Paludes

A related set of features are the sinus (singular sinus, Latin for "bay") and paludes (singular palus, Latin for "marsh"):

Lunar Sinus and Paludes

Latin Name	English Name	Lat.	Long.	Diameter (km)
Palus Epidemiarum	Marsh of Epidemics	32.0° S	28.2° W	286
Palus Putredinis	Marsh of Decay	26.5° N	0.4° E	161
Palus Somni	Marsh of Sleep	14.1° N	45.0° E	143
Sinus Aestuum	Seething Bay	10.9° N	8.8° W	290
Sinus Amoris	Bay of Love	18.1° N	39.1° E	130
Sinus Asperitatis	Bay of Roughness	3.8° S	27.4° E	206
Sinus Concordiae	Bay of Harmony	10.8° N	43.2° E	142
Sinus Fidei	Bay of Trust	18.0° N	2.0° E	70
Sinus Honoris	Bay of Honor	11.7° N	18.1° E	109
Sinus Iridum	Bay of Rainbows	44.1° N	31.5° W	236
Sinus Lunicus	Lunik Bay	31.8° N	1.4° W	126
Sinus Medii	Bay of the center	2.4° N	1.7° E	335
Sinus Roris	Bay of Dew	54.0° N	56.6° W	202
Sinus Successus	Bay of Success	0.9° N	59.0° E	132

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.

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
• Selenography

References

1. Moore, Patrick (1983). The Guinness book of astronomy facts and feats. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 0-85112-258-2.
2. "Moon Mare/Maria". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
3. "Astronomica Langrenus" (in Italian). Retrieved 2006-12-05.

• L. E. Andersson and Ewen A. Whitaker, NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature, NASA RP-1097, 1982, no ISBN.
• Ben Bussey and Paul Spudis, The Clementine Atlas of the Moon, Cambridge University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
• Antonín Rükl, Atlas of the Moon, Kalmbach Books, 1990, ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
• Ewen A. Whitaker, Mapping and Naming the Moon, Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-521-62248-4.

External links

• NASA lunar Atlas
• Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon
• USGS: Moon nomenclature
• USGS: Moon Nomenclature: Mare
• USGS: Moon Nomenclature: Oceanus
• USGS: Moon Nomenclature: Lacus
• USGS: Moon Nomenclature: Palus
• USGS: Moon Nomenclature: Sinus