Great Wall from Space
Can the Great Wall of China really be seen from space?
Stretching for some 4,500 miles, the ancient Chinese
fortification is the mightiest work of man. Being this long and large, it
should be visible from space right?
In 1932,
a "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" cartoon called it “the only one that
would be visible to the human eye from the moon,”
This is not true. The reality is that you can’t easily see
the Great Wall with the unaided eye, even from low Earth orbit.
And certainly,
the Apollo astronauts couldn’t see it from the Moon, even though that urban
legend has been widely circulated.
First of all, it's not the only object visible (although
barely discernible) from Low Earth orbit distance. Human-built structures such
as highways, airports, bridges, dams, and components of the Kennedy Space
Center are also visible.
Now, if we consider space to mean a distance greater than the
Earth’s orbit, like from the Moon, the answer for whether or not the Great Wall
of China can be seen from space with the naked eye changes to a definitive
“no”, despite what was often reported in the early 20th century.
Debunked!
Sources:
P.S. - If you have any urban legend or superstition that you are doubtful of, just comment it and I will try to debunk that.
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