Mare Tranquillitatis facts for kids

Mare Tranquillitatis on the Moon

Mare Tranquillitatis is a large, dark area on the side of the Moon that we can see from Earth. It's also known as the Sea of Tranquillity. Long ago, astronomers thought these dark spots were actual seas and oceans. But now we know they are not water. Instead, they are flat, dark plains that might have formed from ancient volcanoes erupting and leaking lava onto the Moon's surface. Mare Tranquillitatis is one of about 22 such "seas" or "oceans" on the Moon.

How It Got Its Name

In 1651, two astronomers named Francesco Grimaldi and Giovanni Battista Riccioli gave Mare Tranquillitatis its name. They included it on their lunar map, which was a map of the Moon.

Exploring the Sea of Tranquillity

Buzz Aldrin salutes the U.S. flag on Mare Tranquillitatis during Apollo 11 in 1969.

Map of Mare Tranquillitatis showing the landing sites of Apollo 11, the first mission to land humans on the Moon, and other missions like Apollo 17, Apollo 16, and Surveyor 5.

Mare Tranquillitatis is famous because it was the landing site for the very first time humans landed on the Moon! This historic event happened on July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 spacecraft touched down at 20:18 UTC. The exact spot where Apollo 11 landed is at 0°40′27″N 23°28′23″E / 00.67408°N 23.47297°E / 00.67408; 23.47297 (Apollo 11 landing site).

Images for kids

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  A view of the Apollo 11 landing site in the center, looking west. Maskelyne crater is in the front on the right.

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  A topographic map showing the shape of the land in the Tranquillitatis basin.

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  A gravity map of the Tranquillitatis basin, created using data from the GRAIL mission.

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  A clear view of a pit crater in Mare Tranquillitatis. You can see large rocks on its smooth floor. This image is 400 meters wide, with north at the top.

See also

In Spanish: Mare Tranquillitatis para niños