# what man made artifact can be seen from the Moon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909 "2018-11-02T21:16:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/1 "2018-11-02T21:16:35Z")
QI asked this, and also did it in their book. However while they got the _wrong_ answer correct, they were wrong about the\* right \*answer. Oh SBMBers, which is the right answer? Are we smarter than QI or dumber than Alan Davies? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/2 "2018-11-02T21:20:29Z")
The ISS? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/3 "2018-11-02T21:25:16Z")
The lower parts of several Lunar Modules and assorted lunar hardware. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/4 "2018-11-02T21:28:52Z")
Space helmet ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/5 "2018-11-02T21:30:07Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The lower parts of several Lunar Modules and assorted lunar hardware. Very good. QI said “nothing”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/6 "2018-11-02T21:32:38Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > The ISS? Well, if the sun hits several satellites right, yes, you could see them as points of light. And if you had a guide, so you knew when, you could say “That moving star is the ISS”, I guess. But I wouldn’t say this counts. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/7 "2018-11-02T21:33:27Z")
Assuming you want to leave, you better hope you can see the Command Module orbiting above you. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/8 "2018-11-02T21:35:48Z")
Now that that’s settled, the more interesting question is what is QI and why did the OP think it didn’t need explanation? ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/9 "2018-11-02T21:39:00Z")
Space gloves ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/10 "2018-11-02T21:39:32Z")
I’d be willing to bet that you could see the light from the Excalibur in Vegas, if it was pointed directly at you. But, not very much money. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/11 "2018-11-02T21:44:05Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Now that that’s settled, the more interesting question is what is QI and why did the OP think it didn’t need explanation? QI, which stands for Quite Interesting, is a British Television show that has also put out a couple of books. Stephen Fry was the host until recently, and if you look you can find partial episodes on Youtube and sometimes a season on BBC America or PBS. > **[QI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QI)** > > QI (Quite Interesting) is a British comedy panel game quiz show for television created and co-produced by John Lloyd. The series currently airs on BBC Two and is presented by Sandi Toksvig. It features permanent panellist Alan Davies and three guest panellists per episode; the panellists are mostly comedians. The series was presented by Stephen Fry from its beginning in 2003 until 2016. > The format of the show focuses on the panellists answering questions that are extremely obscure, making it ... _“The format of the show focuses on Davies and three other guest panellists answering questions that are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given. To compensate, the panellists are awarded points not only for the right answer, but also for interesting ones, regardless of whether they are right or even relate to the original question, while points are deducted for “answers which are not only wrong, but pathetically obvious”[4] – typically answers that are generally believed to be true but in fact are misconceptions. These answers, referred to as “forfeits”, are usually indicated by a loud klaxon and alarm bell, flashing lights, and the incorrect answer being flashed on the video screens behind the panellists. Bonus points are sometimes awarded or deducted for challenges or incorrect references, varying from show to show. QI has a philosophy that “everything is interesting if looked at in the right way”;[5] many factual errors in the show have been corrected in later episodes or on the show’s blog.”_ ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/12 "2018-11-02T22:08:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, if the sun hits several satellites right, yes, you could see them as points of light. > > And if you had a guide, so you knew when, you could say “That moving star is the ISS”, I guess. > > But I wouldn’t say this counts. Whyever not? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/13 "2018-11-02T22:35:49Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Whyever not? Because altho you can see a point of light, you can’t see any details which makes it the ISS. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/14 "2018-11-02T22:44:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Because altho you can see a point of light, you can’t see any details which makes it the ISS. Well then, I guess you can’t see stars from the moon either. (The sun excepted.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/15 "2018-11-02T23:07:01Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Well then, I guess you can’t see stars from the moon either. (The sun excepted.) It’s a fine point and certainly I am not going to give you the Buzzer of Absolute Wrongness on this. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/16 "2018-11-02T23:16:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It’s a fine point and certainly I am not going to give you the Buzzer of Absolute Wrongness on this. Phew! Sounds like I dodged a bullet - that buzzer doesn’t sound survivable. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/17 "2018-11-02T23:47:38Z")
Our lighting array is pretty visible. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/18 "2018-11-02T23:54:21Z")
How about “the place where the Aral Sea used to be”? That’s man-made. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/19 "2018-11-03T00:02:38Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > How about “the place where the Aral Sea used to be”? That’s man-made. You can barely make out the continents from the Moon. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909/20 "2018-11-03T00:05:01Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > How about “the place where the Aral Sea used to be”? That’s man-made. And, inversely, all the large rĂ©servoirs such as [Lake Kariba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Kariba). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-man-made-artifact-can-be-seen-from-the-moon/823909.md?page=2)