Mare Marginis (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
- 357.6 km, 21 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 12.7° N, 86.52° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1935
- Origin of the name
"Sea of the Edge."
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Mare Marginis.
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 | 5 | May 11, 1967 | May 23, 1967 |
| Clementine · Ultraviolet/Visible Camera | 1,415 | February 21, 1994 | April 17, 1994 |
| Clementine · High Resolution Camera | 1,057 | February 21, 1994 | April 24, 1994 |
| Clementine · Near Infrared Camera | 873 | February 21, 1994 | April 17, 1994 |
| Clementine · Long Wavelength Infrared Camera | 570 | February 21, 1994 | April 24, 1994 |
| Arecibo Observatory/National Radio Astronomy Observatory · Earth-based Arecibo Radio Telescope/Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope | 53 | October 28, 2005 | May 12, 2013 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Terrain Camera | 2,292 | December 11, 2007 | June 3, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Lunar Radar Sounder | 546 | December 24, 2007 | September 10, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Laser Altimeter | 18 | January 7, 2008 | September 9, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Multiband Imager | 2,883 | March 16, 2008 | August 14, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · High Definition Television | 10,633 | July 4, 2008 | May 27, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Forerunner (aka "Mini-RF" or "Mini-SAR") | 1,616 | February 15, 2009 | August 24, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Moon Mineralogy Mapper | 12 | June 1, 2009 | June 2, 2009 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · DIVINER Lunar Radiometer Experiment | 6,251 | July 5, 2009 | June 5, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera | 12,355 | July 6, 2009 | June 5, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter | 792 | July 13, 2009 | November 29, 2016 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · MINI-RF LRO | 264 | November 7, 2009 | January 4, 2011 |
| Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter · Shadow Camera | 8 | February 2, 2024 | September 21, 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/3681
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms