Welcome to http://www.handsonuniverse.org/activities/Explorations/LunarNames&Places

Features on the moon were named after famous scientists or landscape on Earth. Compare the smaller labeled pictures to the larger image of the moon here.

These  images were taken with an electronic CCD (charge-coupled device) camera by Dave Lane at the Burke-Gaffney Observatory, St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Astronauts first landed on the Moon at the Sea of Tranquillity.  

• The large dark areas  looked like seas to early astronomers through the first telescopes. That is why they have names which are 'Sea of ...' or Mare (in Latin).  However, the moon has no atmosphere or weather. It doesn't really have seas and oceans, clouds or rain! 
• Copernicus and Tycho are two of the youngest craters!

01/16/2000

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