Mare Frigoris (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
- 1,446.4 km, 83 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 57.59° N, 359.99° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1935
- Origin of the name
"Sea of Cold."
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Mare Frigoris.
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 | 149 | May 15, 1967 | August 15, 1967 |
| Lunar Orbiter · 80mm Focal Length Camera | 8 | August 15, 1967 | August 15, 1967 |
| Clementine · Ultraviolet/Visible Camera | 37,241 | February 24, 1994 | May 3, 1994 |
| Clementine · High Resolution Camera | 33,036 | February 24, 1994 | May 3, 1994 |
| Clementine · Near Infrared Camera | 22,828 | February 24, 1994 | May 3, 1994 |
| Clementine · Long Wavelength Infrared Camera | 16,438 | February 24, 1994 | May 3, 1994 |
| Arecibo Observatory/National Radio Astronomy Observatory · Earth-based Arecibo Radio Telescope/Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope | 182 | February 17, 2005 | January 26, 2010 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · High Definition Television | 97,223 | October 30, 2007 | June 6, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Terrain Camera | 50,430 | November 19, 2007 | June 5, 2009 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Lunar Radar Sounder | 6,889 | November 20, 2007 | September 6, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Laser Altimeter | 99 | December 30, 2007 | October 27, 2008 |
| JAXA SELENE/KAGUYA Main Orbiter · Multiband Imager | 45,057 | January 24, 2008 | October 17, 2008 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Moon Mineralogy Mapper | 518 | November 18, 2008 | July 31, 2009 |
| ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 · Forerunner (aka "Mini-RF" or "Mini-SAR") | 2,701 | January 7, 2009 | August 28, 2009 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera | 285,073 | June 30, 2009 | June 15, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · DIVINER Lunar Radiometer Experiment | 97,853 | July 5, 2009 | June 14, 2026 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter | 7,327 | July 13, 2009 | October 7, 2025 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project | 347 | September 1, 2009 | October 1, 2010 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · MINI-RF LRO | 5,465 | September 20, 2009 | June 13, 2026 |
| Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter · Shadow Camera | 2,188 | January 8, 2023 | September 28, 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/3674
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms