BAY OF RAINBOWS
| SINUS IRIDUM, Latin for the Bay of Rainbows. Lots are located near the small crater Heraclides E. This location is “considered one of the most beautiful features on the Moon, and is a favorite among lunar observers.” Makes a great gift for friends with glowing personalities or for that "special someone" in your life. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A BAY OF RAINBOWS CLAIM for just 29.99! |
Bay of Rainbows Location Description
Sinus Iridum, Latin for the Bay of Rainbows, is one of the larger lunar bays, located between Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Showers), and Montes Jura (the Jura Mountains). The Bay of Rainbows is one of the most popular locations on the Moon for lunar observers and is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas on the lunar surface. Like lunar Mare, from the Latin word Maria which means Seas, lunar Bays were created by ancient lava flows and derived their names because they resembled oceanic bays here on Earth. These types of formations appear as dark areas on the lunar surface when viewed from Earth and ancient historians believed these darker areas of the Moon were actually liquid oceans, bays and lakes, hence the Latin names which reference these features as bodies of water. The volcanic activity that flooded this Bay with lava, as well as the Lunar Mare in the Sea of Showers to its south, occurred between 3.2 to 3.8 billion years ago while the Moon was still volcanically active.
The Jura Mountains to the north of the Bay of Rainbows are what is left from the ancient rim of an old impact crater. This crater eroded on its southern side allowing it to fill up with lava during the Moon’s volcanic period. Montes Jura was named after the Jura Mountains in Europe. This Mountain range separates the Rhine and Rhone Rivers and lies between the countries of France, Switzerland and Germany.
Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Showers, was an extremely large impact crater formed after a large object hit the Moon in this area, filling with lava at the same time as the Bay of Rainbows. The Sea of Showers is one of the largest Lunar Mare on the Moon, and it is the largest Mare formed by an impact crater. The Sea of Showers is second only to Oceanus Procellarum (the Ocean of Storms) in size. The Sea of Showers was the site of one manned lunar landing with Apollo 15 in its southwestern region.
The crater Heraclides E is named after Heraclides Ponticus (387 BC to 312 BC), a Greek philosopher who studied with Plato and Aristotle in Athens. Heraclides was one of the early believers in the fact that Earth revolved around its axis and orbited around the Sun, just as Venus and Mercury did.
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