noun
- dark areas on the surface of the moon or Mars, originally thought to be seas
Usage: astronomy
Examples
- The Mare Tranquillitatis is one of the most famous maria on the moon.
- Apollo 11 landed in the Sea of Tranquility, one of the lunar maria.
- Ancient astronomers mistakenly believed the maria were actual bodies of water.
- The maria appear as dark patches when viewing the moon through a telescope.
- Scientists study the maria to learn about the moon’s geological history.