Explore the Moon - Mare Frigoris

Background

Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) can be found stretching nearly 1,500km across the northern section of the Moon.  It runs east from Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity) all the way west to Sinus Roris (Bay of Dew) just off of Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms).

Mare Frigoris (Image Credit: NASA LRO)

Observation

My abbreviated observation record can be found below:

Date	2020-06-01
Time	23:54
Sky	Clear
Telescope	8" Reflector (1200mm F.L.)
Eyepiece	10mm (2x Barlow)
Magnification	240x

Comments

I observed this mare when the terminator was intersecting with the larger portion of Oceanus Procellarum.  In the west it seemed to stretch all the way to just north of Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows) and ended near a crater named Harpalus.  In the east, I followed it to the northern reaches of Mare Serenitatis just past Aristoteles and Eudoxus.  It seemed to empty into Lacus Mortis (Lake of Death).  The Alps Mountains offer a strong border between it and Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the east side of Plato.  However, on the west side of Plato the border does not seem to contain as much altitude.  This mare is so long it would be good to observe this over eight days starting from a couple days before first quarter.

Location

To help you locate this object a map has been provided from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Observer's Handbook.  It is object MFr, highlighted below.

Mare Frigoris (Sea)

Another great image comes from Lunar Orbiter 4 from 1967.  This shows the mare stretching from Harpalus in the west, north over Plato, past Aristoteles, to end just north of Lacus Mortis.

Mare Frigoris (Image Credit: NASA Lunar Orbiter 4)