The Moon's Seas

A couple of days either side of the full moon is a good opportunity to try and take a look at all the moon’s seas or lunar maria. What you are looking at are, of course, not seas in the conventional sense of the word, they are in fact large, dark, basaltic plains. The plains are less reflective than the mountains or "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and hence appear dark (and sea-like) to the naked eye.

With a pair of binoculars you should be able to see eleven Seas and one Ocean; you may also be able to spot a couple of the larger craters such as Tycho or Copernicus. Bon voyage!

Photo credit: Wikipedia