What is the size of Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon?
Oceanus Procellarum stretches more than 2,500 kilometers across its north south axis and covers roughly 4 million square kilometers. This area accounts for 10.5% of the total lunar surface area.
Questions about Oceanus Procellarum
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did volcanic activity occur in Oceanus Procellarum?
Basalts in Oceanus Procellarum date back to one billion years ago with samples from Chang'e-5 mission revealing rocks aged 1963 plus or minus 57 million years old. These specimens are over a billion years younger than any previously returned lunar sample.
Where does Oceanus Procellarum sit on the Moon?
The region sits on the western edge of the near side of the Moon. To the northeast it meets Mare Imbrium across the Carpathian Mountains while smaller seas including Mare Nubium and Mare Humorum border the south.
How was Oceanus Procellarum formed according to scientific theories?
Scientists propose that an ancient giant impact on the near side created a basin exceeding 3,000 kilometers in size when the Moon's magma ocean still existed. Another hypothesis suggests spatially inhomogeneous heating during the Moon's formation involving a late accretion theory where a companion moon collided with Earth's satellite.
Who landed at Statio Tianchuan within Oceanus Procellarum in December 2020?
The Chang'e-5 sample return mission arrived in December 2020 at Statio Tianchuan which sits on Mons Rümker within Oceanus Procellarum. Scientists collected 1,731 grams of lunar rock samples there for analysis.