Astronomy Picture of the Day - Tranquility and Serenity

NASA ^ | 25 Jul, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Nyêrdson Ferreira

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: The Seas of Tranquility and Serenity are calm today. They're calm most every day though, since they are actually lunar maria, ancient lava flows filling in large impact basins on the Moon. Also known by Latin names Mare Tranquillitatis (right) and Mare Serenitatis, the smooth dark lunar "seas" are in stark contrast to the bright cratered lunar highlands surrounding them in this telescopic view. Of course their names are based on the historical, pre-telescopic designations of lunar maria. Easily visible to the unaided eye, the broad features on the Moon's near side were imagined to be like the expansive oceans of planet Earth. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down on the Mare Tranquillitatis (at lower right), establishing Tranquility base and the first human presence on the Moon.

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TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[Paladin2]

Confederates were on the Moon [it has a “South”]?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goh2x_G0ct4

[BenLurkin]

Better have your dermatologist take a look at that.

[NavyShoe]

Houston, Tranquility Base here…The Eagle has landed.

[No name given]

Wow.

[null and void]

Runner up for the first words spoken on the surface of the moon...

[ComputerGuy]

A silent splat it was, probably.

[Ezekiel]

"413 is in"

413:

the Spirit of Columbia -- רוח קולומביה
the book of life -- ספר החיים

GHI 1 DEF

😉

[telescope115]

Looks like two amoebas attacking each other….