maria
- noun
- /ˈmɑːriə/
- Specialized
:
maria
- The prominent maria on the Moon can be easily spotted with a telescope during a clear night.
Examples
-
I looked up at the gibbous Moon and started tossing about names of the maria that I could see on Earth's sole natural satellite.
Academic text (2002) -
The basalt making up the maria is rich in iron.
Academic text (2003) -
The maria are readily visible in the two false-color maps of the near side of the Moon.
Academic text (2003) -
The maria of the moon's near side give way to the heavily cratered highlands of the far side.
Academic text (2003) -
Most of the Moon's iron-rich basalt maria occur on the near side as well, where they alternate with highlands having only moderate concentrations of iron.
Academic text (2003) -
Although the maria are not seas, and the terrae are not continents, as they are known on Earth, Galileo's initial classification served lunar scientists well for a long time.
Academic text (2003) -
The reason for the inequality in brightness between the waxing and waning Moon is that its face is not uniformly bright; the highlands of mountains and craters reflect more light per unit angular area than do the dark, flatter regions known as the maria, or seas.
Academic text (2004) -
Scientists study the maria to understand the Moon's volcanic history and geological activity.
-
Many craters are found surrounded by the dark maria, which were formed by ancient volcanic eruptions.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A large dark plain on the Moon made by old lava flows
Compounds
- UK
A card game like Hearts where players avoid winning tricks with hearts or the queen of spades
A town near Oaxaca in southern Mexico known for a very large, very old tree
- Specialized
A West Indian tree with clusters of white fragrant flowers and strong wood
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word maria on the Moon comes from the Latin mare, which means 'sea', because early sky watchers thought the dark, flat plains looked like seas, so these areas were called 'maria' and the name stuck for the Moon's dark plains.