Quote of the day 13th April 2014

I have been unable to validate or confrm the author of the quote below and it took me a while even to find a definitive statement regarding the accuracy of the saying on which it is based, namely that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade object which can be seen from the moon.

It turns out that the theory that theGreat Wall of China is visible from the moon dates back to at least 1938, e.g. 38 years before any men landed on the moon and might have been able to check.

NASA believes that it would be extremely difficult.to see the Great Wall from the moon but that it is possible with some difficulty to see and photograph it from Earth Orbit, and have proved that it is definately possible to detect it from orbit using Radar.

The quote I wanted to use refers to this saying, and I have to depend entirely on my memory, which may be fallible, both for the words and for the attribution to the famous economist John Kenneth Galbraith.

"It is hard to see why anyone would bother when, with almost the same difficulty, it can be viewed from China."

Comments

Jim said…
I must admit, if i ever did get the chance to walk on the moon, then i would be more interested in taking some more local photos long before thinking about going into my suitcase and digging out my trusty telescope and getting the great wall of china.
10:55 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
You and me both. That was why I found the JK Galbraith quote amusing.
2:45 pm
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