Even at school, our imagination was amazed by stories that only the Great Wall of China is visible from space. It turns out that people have created many impressive structures that can be seen from a height of hundreds of kilometers. True, from 400 km - the most high point ISS orbits - man-made structures are not visible without the help of optics, but if you go lower, you can see a lot of interesting things. The orbital altitude of the American shuttles was about 200 km, but numerous satellites fly even lower.
10. Kuibyshev Reservoir
This artificial reservoir with an area of 6.45 thousand km² is the second largest river reservoir in the world. It is also called the Zhiguli Sea. The purpose of the reservoir is irrigation, electricity generation, fisheries development and others. important tasks.
9. Nazca Lines
Presumably, these mysterious geoglyphs were built between 400 and 650 AD. The lines are located in the south of Peru on the Nazca plateau. One hypothesis suggests that these lines are signal lines and are intended for landing alien ships. And therefore, there should be nothing surprising in the fact that they are visible from space.
8. Lake Volta
The world's largest man-made reservoir is located in Africa on the Volta River and has an area of 8.5 thousand km². The lake covers 3.6% of Ghana's area. More than 5.5 million people live on the banks of this reservoir.
7. Name of Sheikh Hamad
The eccentric Arab billionaire sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan erected the inscription “HAMAD” on the private island of Al Futaisi. The height of each letter is 1 km, the length of the inscription is more than 3 km. The first 2 letters represent shipping channels filled with water.
5. Horse Sultan
This earthen sculpture was created from coal slag extracted from a mine in Caerphilly, Wales. Of course, from the ISS it can only be seen using optics, but on satellite images"Sultan" is visible very well.
4. Firefox logo
On the fields American state Oregon in 2006 created a circle in the shape of the young logo at the time Firefox browser. The logo shot became one of the most popular places Google Earth. Such original advertising really helped attract new users to the browser. ©
3. Great Pyramids of Egypt
The giant tombs of the ancient pharaohs range in height from 138 to 146 meters. Some researchers believe that, like the Nazca Lines, the pyramids are beacons for aliens. Be that as it may, they can be really easily seen from Earth orbit.
2. Palm Jumeirah artificial island
Bulk islands in Dubai are included in many ratings and tops. Palm Jumeirah is the largest man-made island and one of the most expensive structures in the world. The sixteen branches of the palm island and the surrounding mound are clearly visible from orbit.
1. The Great Wall of China
This grandiose building is almost 9,000 km long including branches. Construction of the wall began in the 4th century BC. and continued slowly until 1644. The wall is indeed visible from orbit with the naked eye, but only under ideal weather conditions.
Many of us have probably heard that the Great Chinese Wall- the only man-made structure that can be seen from space with the naked eye. Is it so?
History of the Myth of the Wall of China
The hypothesis that the wall is visible from space appeared long before the first flights into orbit, which is not surprising, because in total The length of the Chinese wall is 8,851 km (according to other sources, 21,196 km). Early 20th century this fact was mentioned in fairly serious publications of that time. First doubts about this statement began to appear after flights into orbit. Neither Soviet nor American cosmonauts could see the wall on the surface of the Earth. The Chinese, of course, were upset by this, but they came up with their own excuse, saying that only a true Chinese is destined to see the wall from space. But... they were wrong, the Chinese cosmonauts also could not see great wall from space.
Why the Great Wall of China is not visible from space.
To begin with, let's define what we mean by space. If we take low Earth orbit (which is where most satellites and space stations fly), then the distance from the Earth’s surface will be at least 160 km. From this distance you can actually see some large buildings, but you cannot see the Wall of China. This is explained simply; the wall not only blends in color with environment, but also repeats the terrain. It is impossible to see it with the naked eye; moreover, it is very difficult to notice it even in close-up photographs. Below are examples of photographs taken by a Chinese astronaut using a 180mm lens:
Chinese wall from space. Zoom 180mm.
The astronaut himself said that he could not see the wall and was not sure whether it would be visible in the photographs.
Is the Great Wall of China visible from the moon?
Yes, there was such a myth, but it was also dispelled very quickly. Firstly, American astronauts those who landed on the moon said that they could not see the wall. Secondly, the Moon is located at a distance of 384,400 km from the Earth. If the wall is not visible even from a distance of 160 km, why should it become visible from a distance 2400 times greater?
What objects are visible from space?
In principle, there are many such objects. Cities, rivers, and mountains are visible to the naked eye. Individual buildings can be seen with zoom. Here are some examples provided by NASA:
It's always interesting how things on Earth look when viewed from space. And are they visible at all? Some of geographical elements relief and man-made structures are large enough to be visible from space. Here is a list of 10 things on Earth that astronauts see.
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10Night cities
From space, astronauts can identify continents on Earth by analyzing their shape. But the sight of illuminated cities has a more impressive visual effect. Mostly, we're talking about O major cities Worldwide. Astronauts see illuminated areas of the United States, Europe and India.
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9Palm Islands, Dubai
The Palm Islands, along with the Dubai World Islands, are visible even from space. Since these are the world's largest artificial islands, this is not surprising. The Palm Islands are actually three palm-shaped artificial islands spread over an area of 60 square meters. km. Here you will find hundreds of luxury hotels, villas, shopping centers and parks - the present man-made miracle. The World Islands archipelago covers an area of more than 9 square kilometers and contains 300 artificial islands built from sand on the shallow coastline of Dubai.
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8Phytoplankton bloom
Plankton is one of the most common and amazing phenomena in the ocean - countless microscopic algae wandering along the surface of the water. The process of plankton blooming is visible even from space; it is filmed by satellites such as Terra and Aqua from NASA.
Plankton is food for many ocean inhabitants from small fish to large whales. He also plays important role in converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Plankton begins to bloom in warm waters ocean, which from space looks like a multi-colored whirlpool.
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7Greenhouses of Almeria, Spain
Almeria's greenhouses are the heart Agriculture Spain. They are located on an area of 259 sq. km. These plastic greenhouses are visible from space in daytime days. Several hundred tons of vegetables and fruits are produced here every year, and from here the products are exported to many European countries. This economic miracle of Spain attracts many tourists, making Almeria a popular tourist destination in Spain.
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6Pyramids of Giza
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World has also become a favorite place on Earth for astronauts who want to get a spectacular photo of the Earth from space orbit. The pyramids are not visible to the naked eye from space; astronauts use a camera with a long focal length. Cameras with high resolution The ISS has taken many detailed images of the Pyramids of Giza from space.
In satellite photographs of the pyramids of Giza from the southeastern part, they appear to be illuminated by the Sun. Also in these photographs you can see the statue of the Sphinx.
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5Ganges Delta
The Ganges Delta is the largest river delta in the world, located in the Bay of Bengal in the territory of Bangladesh and India, in the region called West Bengal. The delta covers an area of more than 100 thousand square meters. km. This amazing territory can also be seen from Earth's orbit.
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4Grand Canyon
Of course, exploring every meter of the Grand Canyon in Arizona will take a lot of time. But astronauts orbiting the Earth are lucky enough to see the entire Grand Canyon at once. Satellite images of the Grand Canyon help scientists map the Canyon's surface as well as monitor changes in its topography.
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3Amazon river
Almost 7 thousand km of the Amazon River and its tributaries are visible to astronauts from Earth orbit. During floods, the river forms branches, like the lines of a spider's web, which are visible from space. In satellite images of the Amazon, the color of the water appears very dark due to the color of the soil of the lowland forests surrounding the river.
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2Great Barrier Reef
The 2,500 km Great Barrier Reef makes it the largest coral reef on Earth. It's also the biggest Living being in this world that can be seen from space. The Great Barrier Reef connects more than 900 islands and reefs located in eastern Australia. It is included in the list of objects world heritage UNESCO and is home to 1,500 species of tropical fish. It is also an excellent area for scuba divers and a popular tourist destination in Australia.
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1Himalayas
The Himalayan Mountains, home to the world's highest peaks, are also clearly visible from space. The highest mountain range on the planet separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan plateau, where Mount Everest is located - the most high mountain in the world. There are hundreds in the Himalayas mountain peaks, whose height exceeds 7200 meters. Many sections of this mountain range are sacred to both Hinduism and Buddhism.
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Conclusion
It was an article: What can be seen on Earth from space? TOP 10. Thank you for your attention.
(Total 29 photos)
1. Go Discovery! On October 23, 2007 at 11:40 am, I went into space for the first time on the Discovery shuttle. He is wonderful... it's a pity that this is his last flight. I'm looking forward to boarding the ship when it arrives at the station in November.
2. Earthly radiance. Space station in the blue terrestrial glow that appears when the rising sun penetrates the thin atmosphere of our planet, and the station is bathed in blue light. I will never forget this place... a view like this makes my soul sing and my heart wants to fly.
3. NASA astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock.
4. Juan de Nova Island in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and Africa. The amazing colors of these places can compete with the views of the Caribbean Sea.
5. Northern lights in the distance on one of the beautiful nights over Europe. The Strait of Dover is clearly visible in the photo, as is Paris, the city of lights. Little fog over western part England, in particular over London. How incredible it is to see the lights of cities and towns against the backdrop of deep space. I will miss this view of our wonderful world.
6. “Fly me to the Moon...let me dance among the Stars...” (Take me to the Moon, let's dance among the stars). I hope we never lose our sense of wonder. A passion for exploration and discovery is a great legacy to leave to your children. I hope someday we'll set our sails and set off on a journey. Someday this wonderful day will come...
7. Of all the places on our magnificent planet, few can compete in beauty and richness of colors with. This photo shows our ship “Progress-37” against the backdrop of the Bahamas. How beautiful our world is!
8. At a speed of 28,163 km/h (8 km per second)... we orbit the Earth, making one revolution every 90 minutes, and seeing sunsets and sunrises every 45 minutes. So half of our journey takes place in pitch darkness. To work, we simply need flashlights on our helmets. In this photo I am preparing the handle of one device... "M3 Ammonia Connector".
9. Every time I look out the window and see our beautiful planet, my soul sings! I see blue skies, white clouds and a bright blessed day.
10. Another spectacular sunset. In Earth's orbit, we see 16 such sunsets every day, and each of them is truly valuable. This beautiful thin one blue line– what sets our planet apart from many others. It's cold in space, and the Earth is an island of life in the vast dark sea of space.
11. Beautiful atoll in Pacific Ocean, photographed with a 400mm lens. Approximately 1930 km south of Honolulu.
12. Beautiful reflection sunlight in the eastern part Mediterranean Sea. There are no borders visible from space... From there you can only see breathtaking views, such as the view of this island of Cyprus.
13. Above the center Atlantic Ocean, before another amazing sunset. Below, the spirals of Hurricane Earl are visible in the rays of the setting sun. Interesting look at vital energy our sun. Sun rays on the left side of the station and on Hurricane Earl... these two objects are collecting the last bits of energy before plunging into darkness.
14. A little further east we saw the sacred monolith of Uluru, better known as Ayers Rock. I've never had the opportunity to visit Australia, but one day I hope to stand next to this natural wonder.
15. Morning over the Andes in South America. I don’t know for sure the name of this peak, but I was simply amazed by its magic, the peaks reaching towards the sun and winds.
16. Over the Sahara Desert, approaching ancient lands and thousands of years of history. The Nile River flows through Egypt past the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo. Further, the Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, as well as the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea and Greece on the horizon.
17. Night view to the Nile River, which snakes through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, and Cairo, located in the river delta. What a contrast between the dark lifeless desert northern Africa and the Nile River, on the banks of which life is in full swing. In the distance in this photograph taken beautifully autumn evening, the Mediterranean Sea is visible.
18. Our unmanned 'Progress 39P' is approaching the ISS for refueling. It's full of food, fuel, spare parts and everything we need for our station. Inside was a real gift - fresh fruits and vegetables. What a miracle after three months of tube feeding!
20. Soyuz 23C Olympus module docked on the nadir side. When our work here is finished, we will return home to Earth. I thought you might be interested in seeing this spectacle through the Dome. We fly over the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus. Rising Sun reflected from the Caspian Sea.
21. A flash of color, movement and life on our canvas amazing world. This is part of the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia, captured through a 1200mm lens. I think even the great impressionists would have been amazed by this natural painting.
22. All the beauty of Italy is clear summer evening. You can see many beautiful islands decorating the coast - Capri, Sicily and Malta. Naples and Mount Vesuvius stand out along the coast.
23. At the southern end South America lies the pearl of Patagonia. Amazing beauty rocky mountains, massive glaciers, fjords and open sea combines in amazing harmony. I dreamed about this place. I wonder what it would be like to breathe the air there. Real magic!
24. The "dome" on the nadir side of the station gives panoramic view our beautiful planet. Fedor took this photo from the window of the Russian docking bay. In this photo I'm sitting in the canopy getting my camera ready for our evening flight over Hurricane Earl.
27. Clear starry night above eastern part Mediterranean Sea. Ancient lands from thousand years of history stretch from Athens to Cairo. Historical lands, fabulous cities and tempting islands... Athens - Crete - Rhodes - Izmir - Ankara - Cyprus - Damascus - Beirut - Haifa - Amman - Tel Aviv - Jerusalem - Cairo - they all turned into tiny lights on this cool November night. These places seem to emanate grace and tranquility.
28. At this time of year you can fully enjoy the beauty of the polar mesospheric clouds. With the help of our high angle We were able to capture a thin layer of noctilucent clouds at sunset.
29. Shannon, me and Fedor in our Falcon suits in the MRM-1 module. We boarded the Olympus capsule to pressurize and check for leaks on our suits. All systems are running, the countdown has begun.