Mare Imbrium (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
- 1,145.5 km, 66 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 34.72° N, 345.09° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1935
- Origin of the name
"Sea of Showers."
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Mare Imbrium.
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 | 119 | May 17, 1967 | August 15, 1967 |
| Lunar Orbiter · 80mm Focal Length Camera | 22 | August 14, 1967 | August 15, 1967 |
| Clementine · Ultraviolet/Visible Camera | 21,343 | February 27, 1994 | May 3, 1994 |
| Clementine · High Resolution Camera | 16,189 | February 27, 1994 | April 27, 1994 |
| Clementine · Near Infrared Camera | 11,698 | February 27, 1994 | May 3, 1994 |
| Clementine · Long Wavelength Infrared Camera | 8,172 | February 27, 1994 | April 27, 1994 |
| Arecibo Observatory/National Radio Astronomy Observatory · Earth-based Arecibo Radio Telescope/Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope | 179 | February 17, 2005 | January 26, 2010 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Lunar Radar Sounder | 3,369 | November 20, 2007 | September 5, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · High Definition Television | 50,565 | November 23, 2007 | June 6, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Terrain Camera | 20,795 | December 17, 2007 | June 5, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Laser Altimeter | 50 | December 31, 2007 | October 27, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Multiband Imager | 33,810 | March 22, 2008 | October 16, 2008 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Moon Mineralogy Mapper | 312 | January 9, 2009 | June 11, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Forerunner (aka "Mini-RF" or "Mini-SAR") | 36 | March 31, 2009 | August 18, 2009 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera | 102,018 | June 30, 2009 | June 13, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · DIVINER Lunar Radiometer Experiment | 37,147 | July 5, 2009 | June 13, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter | 3,467 | July 13, 2009 | November 29, 2016 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · MINI-RF LRO | 2,423 | September 20, 2009 | June 13, 2026 |
| Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter · Shadow Camera | 1,037 | January 22, 2023 | September 3, 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/3678
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms