This is a mosaic image of the Mare Orientale, a prominent feature on the moon. From a terrestrial perspective, it would be just barely on the moon's western edge, making it difficult to see. This mosaic of the impact basin was made from pictures taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The Mare Orientale (Italian for "Eastern Sea") is the youngest large impact basin on the moon, despite being some 3 billion years old. It is 600 miles across, and was formed by a collision with an asteroid, which subsequently caused a rippling effect in the lunar crust. The reason these regions are called "seas" despite being located on our dry and barren moon dates back to a time when astronomers were only able to see them as big dark spots that resembled bodies of water.
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