Can You See the Great Wall of China from Space? Not Easily

[n2doc]

This picture, apparently the first verifiable photo of the Great Wall of China shot from low Earth orbit, was taken by International Space Station Commander Leroy Chiao on Nov. 24, 2004. Can you find it? Credit: NASA



One popular myth about space exploration is that the Great Wall of China is the only human-built structure that can be seen from space. But it’s not true. The reality is that you can’t easily see the Great Wall from low Earth orbit with the unaided eye. And certainly, the Apollo astronauts couldn’t see it from the Moon, even though that urban legend has been widely circulated.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who just returned from five months aboard the International Space Station, reiterated the facts about the Great Wall’s visibility from space. “The Great Wall of China is not visible from orbit with the naked eye,” Hadfield said via Twitter. “It’s too narrow, and it follows the natural contours and colours [of the landscape].”

Additionally, when China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, went into space in 2003, he said that he couldn’t see the structure of the Great Wall from out his capsule window.

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Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/25364/can-you-see-the-great-wall-of-china-from-space/

[dipsydoodle]

1. But it would seem you can see London's M25 from space

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2128538/Never-thought-M25-pretty-A-new-image-outer-space-shows-infamous-motorway-new-light.html