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Is the Great Wall of China really visible from space?

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Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China is a thin structure that blends in well with the surrounding landscape, making it very hard to spot.

By Luis Villazon

Asked by: Chris Tuttle, Edinburgh

No. Even from low Earth orbit the Great Wall of China is extremely hard to spot with the naked eye. It’s a very thin line, almost the same colour as the landscape. Lots of other things are visible though, including cities, airports and dams. From the Moon, no man-made structure is visible.

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Luis Villazon

Q&A expert

Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.