What man-made things on Earth can be seen from space?
There is a longstanding myth that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade object visible from space. It and several variations on the theme are great fodder for water cooler arguments. In reality, many human constructs can be seen from Earth orbit. Shuttle astronauts can see highways, airports, dams and even large vehicles from an Earth orbit that is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) high. Cities are clearly distinct from surrounding countryside, and that’s true even from the higher perch of the International Space Station, which circles the planet at about 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. “You can see an awful lot from space,” says astronaut Ed Lu, the science officer of Expedition Seven aboard the station. “You can see the pyramids from space, especially with a pair of binoculars. They are a little difficult to pick out with just your eyes.” Egyptian pyramids have been photographed from space several times with standard digital cameras and high-powered lenses. The largest pyramid at
This is a popular myth: the Great Wall of China is the only human structure that can be seen from space. But it’s not true. The reality is that you can’t easily see the wall from space with the unaided eye. In fact, when China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, went into space, he said that he couldn’t see the structure of the wall from out his capsule window. NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao attempted to photograph the Great Wall of China from out his window on the International Space Station. He photographed a region of Inner Mongolia, about 200 miles north of Beijing. Chiao and NASA believe they can identify parts of the Great Wall in his photograph, but it’s not easy to see. The ancient pyramids at Giza are easy to see out the window of the International Space Station, however. This myth goes even further, though. People somehow think that the Great Wall of China can be seen from the Moon. The Apollo astronauts confirmed that you can’t see the Great Wall of China from the Moon. The best you
