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Sinus Iridum

Bay of Rainbows, minor mare on the Moon

The northwestern edge of Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Rains on the Moon, is broken by a circular formation some 260km in diameter. The floor of the Sea continues into this smaller structure, which is therefore designated a 'bay': specifically the Bay or Rainbows, or Sinus Iridum.

To the southeast, the floor of the bay continues out into Mare Imbrium, but its northern and western edges are distinct, and indeed marked by a range of mountains. These mountains, the Montes Jura, form a near-semicircle around the Bay, and at each end they extend slightly into the larger Sea of Rains, forming a so-called promontorium or cape. The northern end of the Jura Mountains is marked by Cape Laplace, while its counterpart in the south is Cape Heraclides.

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