<p>not sure about the dark side, but there are numerous other lunar features: </p>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lunar_features" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia Lunar Features</a></p>

<p>Maybe Catena (a chain of craters) or Rima (lunar rilles)?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-12T14:14:52.690Z
2020-03-12T14:14:52.690Z
Benny
<p>Some parts of the Lunar South pole never see sunlight: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_south_pole#Craters" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_south_pole#Craters</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-12T15:02:57.533Z
2020-03-12T15:02:57.533Z
Wayfaring Stranger
<p>The plural are mare is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Moon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">maria</a>, so Maria might be a good name for kitten/cat, particularly given the unnamed one is a twin.</p>

<p>Also, olivine is common mineral on the moon, as it is on earth. <a href="https://lunarhomestead.com/2018/02/27/olivine/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Olivine</a> is generally a darker green mineral, hence its name. From this one could derive either Olive or Olivia.</p>

<p>Other <a href="https://www.momjunction.com/articles/baby-names-that-mean-moon_00395982/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">names</a> to consider:</p>

<ul>
<li>Quacey - Scottish for moonlight</li>
<li>Lucine - Armenia name meaning "moon", shorten it to Lucy</li>
<li>Kamaria - Swahili for "beauty of the moon"</li>
<li>Selene or Selena - Greek &amp; Latin names for the moon</li>
<li>Mona - English for the moon</li>
<li>Luna Negre - negre is Catalan for black, so the name would be Black Moon</li>
<li>Eclipse - the moon goes dark during an eclipse</li>
<li>Penumbra - the partial darkness during an eclipse.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-13T12:44:31.793Z
2020-03-13T13:09:17.550Z
2020-03-13T13:09:17.550Z
Fred
<p>I know there are <em>mare</em>, <em>oceani</em>, and <em>lacunae</em>, but anything else that I'm overlooking from lists of lunar features?</p>

<p>Does the "dark"/far side have a particular, maybe Latin scientific name (tho it gets lit as much as the near side, of course), or the unlit area aside from 'night'?</p>

<p>(I'm trying to name a kitten who was born July 19th during the Apollo XI 50th anniversary. All girls, the one white one with soft black extremities is Luna, one all black but the barest white dusting about her neck is Mare, then there's Mare's essentially identical twin, who needs the name.)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-11T20:10:19.140Z
Macula is used for dark spots, but as far as I know they are not part of the nomenclature for Luna, but show up on Titan, Triton, Charon, Europa and Pluto. Lacus (lake) is sometimes used for small Mares.
Anders Sandberg
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-11T20:42:30.170Z
Interesting, but I do wanna stick to lunar geography ("lunography"??). A little reminiscent of 'macular degeneration,' too. `:(
New Contributor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-12T14:17:01.677Z
Not a feature on the Moon, but you could use [Diana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_(mythology)) - if not for Mare's twin, then for another one.
John Dvorak
<the-moon><moonlanding>
What are some dark features on (or qualities to) the moon?
New Contributor
# What are some dark features on (or qualities to) the moon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-03-11)

I know there are *mare*, *oceani*, and *lacunae*, but anything else that I'm overlooking from lists of lunar features?

Does the "dark"/far side have a particular, maybe Latin scientific name (tho it gets lit as much as the near side, of course), or the unlit area aside from 'night'?

(I'm trying to name a kitten who was born July 19th during the Apollo XI 50th anniversary. All girls, the one white one with soft black extremities is Luna, one all black but the barest white dusting about her neck is Mare, then there's Mare's essentially identical twin, who needs the name.)

**Tags:** the-moon, moonlanding

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Macula is used for dark spots, but as far as I know they are not part of the nomenclature for Luna, but show up on Titan, Triton, Charon, Europa and Pluto. Lacus (lake) is sometimes used for small Mares.  
> **username_0**: Interesting, but I do wanna stick to lunar geography ("lunography"??). A little reminiscent of 'macular degeneration,' too. `:(  
> **username_2**: Not a feature on the Moon, but you could use [Diana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_(mythology)) - if not for Mare's twin, then for another one.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-03-12. Score: 2

not sure about the dark side, but there are numerous other lunar features:

[Wikipedia Lunar Features](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lunar_features)

Maybe Catena (a chain of craters) or Rima (lunar rilles)?


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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-03-12. Score: 2

Some parts of the Lunar South pole never see sunlight: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_south_pole#Craters>


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### Answer by username_5 on 2020-03-13. Score: 1

The plural are mare is [maria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Moon), so Maria might be a good name for kitten/cat, particularly given the unnamed one is a twin.

Also, olivine is common mineral on the moon, as it is on earth. [Olivine](https://lunarhomestead.com/2018/02/27/olivine/) is generally a darker green mineral, hence its name. From this one could derive either Olive or Olivia.

Other [names](https://www.momjunction.com/articles/baby-names-that-mean-moon_00395982/) to consider:

* Quacey - Scottish for moonlight
* Lucine - Armenia name meaning "moon", shorten it to Lucy
* Kamaria - Swahili for "beauty of the moon"
* Selene or Selena - Greek & Latin names for the moon
* Mona - English for the moon
* Luna Negre - negre is Catalan for black, so the name would be Black Moon
* Eclipse - the moon goes dark during an eclipse
* Penumbra - the partial darkness during an eclipse.


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