What Can Be Seen from Moon on Earth?

One common misconception concerning space research is that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space. It is not visible without magnification from low Earth orbit. Therefore, it was not possible for the Apollo astronauts to see it from the Moon.

The Views of Astronauts

When asked about the Great Wall from the moon, The Great Wall of China is “not visible from lunar distance,” according to Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon. Buzz Aldrin, the second person to land on the moon in 1969, stated that he had not seen it. Even Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, admitted that he couldn’t see the great wall from his capsule window during his 2003 space flight, the hypothesis that the Great Wall of China was made visible was put to the test.

What Can Be Seen On Earth From The Moon

When asked what features can be seen from the Moon, Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean replied: “The only thing you can see from the Moon is a beautiful sphere, mostly white, some blue and patches of yellow, and every once in a while some green vegetation. No man-made object is visible at this scale.”

The Apollo astronauts confirmed that the Great Wall of China is not visible from the Moon. In fact, all that can be seen from the Moon is our Earth.

Earthrise is a snapshot of Earth and a portion of the Moon’s surface taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.

Did You Know?

• A picture of Earth from the Moon, taken by Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966, was the first picture of Earth ever taken from the Moon.
• The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth.
• The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 was the first human-made object (spacecraft) to reach the surface of the Moon in 1959.
• Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon on July 21, 1969.
• Eugene Andrew Cernan was the last person to walk on the Moon in 1972. He was the final astronaut to have done so.
• The moon has a significant impact on Earth’s tides. The Moon’s gravitational pull causes ocean tides.

Sources:Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Nasa, ABC Science