Mare Undarum

Mare Undarum /ʌnˈdɛərəm/ (Latin undārum, the "sea of waves") is an uneven lunar mare located just north of Mare Spumans on the lunar near side, between the crater Firmicus and the eastern limb. It is one of the many elevated lakes contained in the Crisium basin, surrounding Mare Crisium. The selenographic coordinates of this mare are 6.8° N, 68.4° E. It has a maximum diameter of 243 km.

Mare Undarum
Mare Undarum
Coordinates6.8°N 68.4°E / 6.8; 68.4
Diameter245 km[1]
EponymSea of Waves
LRO mosaic
Oblique view of Mare Undarum (foreground) and Mare Spumans (upper right), facing south, from Apollo 17

The surrounding basin material is of the Nectarian epoch, with the mare basalt being of the Upper Imbrian epoch. The crater Dubyago can be seen on the southern edge of the mare. On the northeastern edge of the mare is the crater Condorcet P.

When Mädler observed this area in the 1830s, he noted variations in the curved dark streaks that form this mare, leading him to speculate that the changes were caused by vegetation.

Fictional References

Mare Undarum was the location of the second catapult in Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. The exact location of the catapult was kept secret and was "A matter of Lunar national security."

References
  1. "Mare Undarum". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
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