Mare Tranquillitatis

Mare Tranquillitatis is a large area on the visible side of the Moon. It is also called the Sea of Tranquillity. It is called a sea because ancient astronomers looked at the Moon and thought they saw seas and oceans on the Moon. Now we know that they are not seas. They are darkened areas on the Moon's surface. They may have been made by ancient volcanoes by things such as leaks and eruptions. Mare Tranquillitatis is just one of the 22 "Seas" and "Oceans" on the Moon.

Mare Tranquillitatis on the Moon

Naming

In 1651, astronomers Francesco Grimaldi and Giovanni Battista Riccioli named Mare Tranquillitatis in their lunar map.

Exploration

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 manned moon mission, Apollo 17, Apollo 16, and Surveyor 5.

Mare Tranquillitatis was the landing site for the first manned landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969, at 20:18 UTC. Apollo 11 landed at 00.67408°N 23.47297°E / 00.67408; 23.47297 (Apollo 11 landing site) .