Mare Insularum (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
- 511.9 km, 29 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 7.79° N, 329.36° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1976
- Origin of the name
"Sea of Islands."
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Mare Insularum.
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 | 24 | February 21, 1967 | May 21, 1967 |
| Clementine · Ultraviolet/Visible Camera | 5,032 | March 1, 1994 | April 27, 1994 |
| Clementine · High Resolution Camera | 3,695 | March 1, 1994 | April 27, 1994 |
| Clementine · Near Infrared Camera | 2,787 | March 1, 1994 | April 27, 1994 |
| Clementine · Long Wavelength Infrared Camera | 1,854 | March 1, 1994 | April 27, 1994 |
| Arecibo Observatory/National Radio Astronomy Observatory · Earth-based Arecibo Radio Telescope/Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope | 53 | October 27, 2005 | November 12, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · High Definition Television | 4,816 | December 19, 2007 | June 6, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Terrain Camera | 4,076 | December 20, 2007 | June 5, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Lunar Radar Sounder | 818 | December 20, 2007 | September 5, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Laser Altimeter | 20 | January 2, 2008 | June 29, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Multiband Imager | 5,803 | April 20, 2008 | September 19, 2008 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Moon Mineralogy Mapper | 126 | January 11, 2009 | June 11, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Forerunner (aka "Mini-RF" or "Mini-SAR") | 2,583 | February 15, 2009 | August 25, 2009 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · DIVINER Lunar Radiometer Experiment | 9,806 | July 5, 2009 | June 14, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter | 1,282 | July 13, 2009 | November 29, 2016 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera | 23,675 | July 15, 2009 | June 14, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · MINI-RF LRO | 588 | November 15, 2009 | June 26, 2025 |
| Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter · Shadow Camera | 113 | February 21, 2023 | September 30, 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/3680
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms