Seen from space?

No. It's a persistent myth, but it's not true. As you mentioned, the Pyramids are also visible; but at the distance from which one can see the Great Wall, one can also see things as un-monumental as highways, airports and bridges.

I thought that because of the great wall's color, it was actually harder to see than other man made monuments, since it blends into the ground.

Although I'd accepted this for ages, apparently the Great Wall of China can not be seen from space - its a long lasting wives tail according to my better half.

If your wife tells you a wive's tale is false, can you trust her? Seems like we have a pair 'a ducks on our hands. Nevermind me, everything I say is a lie. :wink:

Re: Seen from space?


They are many structures visible from space. The Chinese Wall is supposed to be the only structure visible from the moon.

Editor's Note: This image, it turns out, is not what we first reported. The European Space Agency said May 19 that what they first declared to be the Great Wall is, instead, a river. Story

The following Image of the Day text appears as it was originally published:

"The Earth looked very beautiful from space, but I did not see our Great Wall," lamented China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei, after 21 hours in orbit last October. The comment triggered a round of news stories that implied the structure could not be seen by any astronaut, disappointing many Chinese who thought it was the only manmade structure visible from space.

This photo, released yesterday, was taken by the European Space Agency's Proba satellite on March 25. It shows a short stretch of the wall atop hills northeast of Beijing. The wall is highlighted in the upper right. (The lower left of the image is purposely washed out; it shows a stretch of engineered waterways called the Da Yunhe, or Grand Canal, a marvel all its own.)

Sure, spotting the Great Wall of China from space is easy with the right telescope and camera. But why couldn't China's new hero see it? He just didn't have enough time or the right conditions, it would seem.

"In Earth's orbit at a height of 160 to 320 kilometers [100-200 miles], the Great Wall of China is indeed visible to the naked eye," says astronaut Eugene Cernan.

A low angle of sunlight casting long shadows can help.

"You can see the Great Wall," confirms astronaut Ed Lu, who was the science officer of Expedition Seven on the International Space Station. The station circles Earth higher than Yang Liwei's orbit.

The misconception is wrapped up in broader myths about what is and what is not visible from space. For the record: No manmade structures on Earth can be seen with the unaided astronaut's eye from the Moon. But many things -- highways, dams and even large vehicles -- are easily spotted from Earth-orbit with no optical aids.
-from Space.com

without a doubt, crop circles are visible from space.

Imagine looking down and seeing this from up there.

after seeing that, if i were an ET i'd wanna go somewhere else.

I'm from here and it makes me want to go someplace else.