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MOON TOUR

MARE SERENITATIS

When the Moon is full, enjoy views of one of the lunar surface’s ancient lava seas

TOP TIP!

If you look at Mare Serenitatis when it’s close to the terminator you will see more detail and surface relief to it.

Look at the full Moon with your naked eye or a pair of binoculars on a frosty winter’s night and you’ll see areas of light and dark. The light areas are known as the ‘lunar highlands’, and they’re the oldest landscapes on the Moon – regions of mountainous, rugged terrain. The dark areas are the lunar ‘seas’, much younger than the ancient highlands. However, these seas are not like the huge stretches of water found on Earth. Instead they are enormous plains of ancient, frozen lava.

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All About Space
Issue 136
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