IAU descriptor term
Sinus in the Solar System
Sinus is the term planetary geologists use for a bay-shaped dark plain. 40 named features carry it, across 2 of the 14 mapped worlds, the largest being Sinus Aestuum on The Moon at 317 km.
Where they are
The largest sinus anywhere
Ranked across every mapped world, by catalogued diameter.
1Sinus AestuumThe Moon317 km2Sinus MediiThe Moon287 km3Walvis SinusTitan253 km4Sinus IridumThe Moon249 km5Sinus AsperitatisThe Moon219 km6Moray SinusTitan204 km7Sinus RorisThe Moon195 km8Sinus AmorisThe Moon189 km9Sinus ConcordiaeThe Moon159 km10Gabes SinusTitan147 km11Wakasa SinusTitan146 km12Okahu SinusTitan141 km13Tunu SinusTitan134 km14Nicoya SinusTitan130 km15Sinus SuccessusThe Moon127 km16Genova SinusTitan125 km17Kumbaru SinusTitan122 km18Sinus LunicusThe Moon119 km19Trold SinusTitan118 km20Flensborg SinusTitan115 km21Sinus HonorisThe Moon112 km22Baffin SinusTitan110 km23Patos SinusTitan103 km24Arnar SinusTitan101 km25Puget SinusTitan93 km26Rombaken SinusTitan92.5 km27Maizuru SinusTitan92 km28Fundy SinusTitan91 km29Montego SinusTitan83 km30Dingle SinusTitan80 km
What they are named after
Naming themes are set per world, so one descriptor can draw on very different sources depending on where it sits. Across all 40 sinus, 26 categories appear.
Latin12Canada3Japan2Namibia1Scotland1Tunisia1New Zealand1Greenland1