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Is the Great Wall of China really visible from space, or is it a myth?

Javier Outright

Well, well, well... The eternal question, the great mystery, the ultimate challenge: is the Great Wall of China really visible from space, or is it just a big, fat myth?

Before we dive into the depths of this controversy, let's clarify a few things. Firstly, when we talk about space, we mean low Earth orbit, which is about 200 to 1000 kilometers above the planet. Secondly, when we talk about the Great Wall of China, we're not talking about a single, continuous wall, but rather a series of walls, fortifications, and natural barriers built over several centuries to protect China's northern borders from invading nomads.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's go back to our question: can you see the Great Wall of China from space? The answer, my friend, is... yes and no. Confused? Let me explain.

On one hand, several astronauts and cosmonauts who have orbited the Earth have reported seeing the Great Wall of China from their spacecraft. For example, the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, claimed to have seen "a long, winding wall" during his flight in 1962. Similarly, the first Chinese astronaut, Yang Liwei, said he was able to see the wall with his naked eye from the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft in 2003. Other space travelers have also reported seeing the wall, albeit with binoculars or cameras.

On the other hand, there are some scientists and skeptics who argue that the Great Wall of China is not actually visible from space, at least not with the naked eye. They claim that the wall is too narrow (about 10 meters wide on average) and blends too well with the surrounding terrain to be discernible from such a great distance. They also note that the human eye can only see objects as small as 0.1 degrees, and that the wall would appear as a mere pixel from 400 kilometers above.

So, who's right? As always, it depends on how you define things. If by "visible from space" you mean "can be seen by the naked eye from 400 kilometers above", then the answer is no, the Great Wall of China is not visible from space. However, if you broaden the definition to include binoculars, cameras, or other optical aids, then the answer is yes, the Great Wall of China can be seen from space.

In conclusion, the myth of the Great Wall of China being visible from space is not completely unfounded, but it's also not entirely true. Perhaps the real question we should be asking ourselves is not whether the wall can be seen from space, but rather why we're so fascinated with the idea in the first place. Is it because the wall is a symbol of China's ancient culture and engineering prowess? Or because it represents a monumental effort to defend borders and maintain power? Or simply because it's a cool thing to imagine? Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: the Great Wall of China will continue to capture our imagination, whether we see it from space or not.