Mare Fecunditatis (Moon)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Mare, maria
- IAU definition
“Sea”; on the Moon, low albedo, relatively smooth plain, generally of large extent; on Mars, dark albedo areas of no known geological significance; on Titan, large expanses of dark materials thought to be liquid hydrocarbons
- Diameter
- 840.4 km, 48 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 7.84° S, 53.67° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1935
- Origin of the name
"Sea of Fecundity."
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Mare Fecunditatis.
Observed by
Instruments whose footprint touches this formation, counted by the PDS Orbital Data Explorer (data frozen on September 29, 2026). A footprint that touches it is not a study of it.
| Mission and instrument | Products | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar Orbiter · 24 Inch Focal Length Camera | 42 | May 13, 1967 | August 11, 1967 |
| Lunar Orbiter · 80mm Focal Length Camera | 2 | August 11, 1967 | August 11, 1967 |
| Clementine · Ultraviolet/Visible Camera | 8,501 | February 22, 1994 | April 20, 1994 |
| Clementine · High Resolution Camera | 7,313 | February 22, 1994 | April 20, 1994 |
| Clementine · Near Infrared Camera | 5,529 | February 22, 1994 | April 20, 1994 |
| Clementine · Long Wavelength Infrared Camera | 4,523 | February 22, 1994 | April 20, 1994 |
| Clementine · Radio Science Subsystem | 59 | April 9, 1994 | April 9, 1994 |
| Arecibo Observatory/National Radio Astronomy Observatory · Earth-based Arecibo Radio Telescope/Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope | 76 | August 7, 2004 | January 24, 2010 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Terrain Camera | 9,821 | November 2, 2007 | May 31, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Lunar Radar Sounder | 1,324 | December 14, 2007 | August 30, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Laser Altimeter | 31 | January 9, 2008 | October 24, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Multiband Imager | 13,555 | March 18, 2008 | October 10, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · High Definition Television | 10,452 | June 8, 2008 | May 31, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Moon Mineralogy Mapper | 174 | January 4, 2009 | July 30, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Forerunner (aka "Mini-RF" or "Mini-SAR") | 1,287 | February 15, 2009 | August 23, 2009 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · DIVINER Lunar Radiometer Experiment | 19,171 | July 5, 2009 | June 8, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera | 54,074 | July 8, 2009 | June 8, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter | 3,137 | July 13, 2009 | November 29, 2016 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · MINI-RF LRO | 1,464 | November 8, 2009 | February 5, 2026 |
| Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter · Shadow Camera | 202 | February 14, 2023 | September 24, 2024 |
Sources
International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, read on October 23, 2026. Feature page: https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms