and then its selenographic directions are lined up with those on Earth. In mid southern latitudes (South America, South Pacific, Australia, South Africa) the Moon rises in the east with its southeastern limb up (Mare Nectaris), it reaches its highest point in the north with its south on top, and sets in the west with its southwestern limb (Mare Humorum) on top. On the south pole the Moon behaves as on the north pole, but there it appears with its south pole up. Differences The two hemispheres have distinctly different appearances, with the near side covered in multiple, large maria (Latin for 'seas'). These lowlands were believed to be seas of lunar water by the astronomers who first mapped them, in the 17th century (notably, Giovanni Battista Riccioli and Francesco Maria Grimaldi). Although no bodies of liquid exist on the Moon, the term "mare" (plural: maria) is still used. The far side has a battered, densely cratered appearance with few maria. Only 1% of the surface of the far side is covered by maria, compared to 31.2% on the near side. According to research analyzed by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, the reason for the difference is because the Moon's crust is thinner on the near side compared to the far side. The dark splotches that make up the large lunar maria are lava-filled impact basins that were created by asteroid impacts about four billion years ago. Though both sides of the Moon were bombarded by similarly large impactors, the near side hemisphere crust and upper mantle was hotter than that of the far side, resulting in the larger impact craters. These larger impact craters make up the Man in the Moon references from popular mythology. See also Giant impact hypothesis Lists of astronomical objects Moon rabbit References Further reading External links Lunar and Planetary Institute: Exploring the Moon Lunar and Planetary Institute: Lunar Atlases (archived 18 December 2011) Ralph Aeschliman Planetary Cartography and Graphics: Lunar Maps (archived 6 February 2004) NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission Lunar science Hemispheres of Moon