Why didn't the Apollo astronauts return with pictures of stars and galaxies taken from the Moon's surface? Are stars visible from the surface of the moon?

Question

Why didn't  the Apollo astronauts return with pictures of stars and galaxies taken from the Moon's surface?  Are stars visible from the surface of the moon?

Leah Abbate · Accepted Answer

Comparing distances of Moon and the Earth from nearby stars and neighboring galaxies, the advantage in luminosity is very little.

The greatest benefit (if any) occurs when the Moon is positioned between a star and Earth. The Moon's apogee distance from Earth is less than 4.1E+05 km. The distances of stars and galaxies are measured in light years. The closest star, Alpha Centauri, is 4.22 light years (LY) away; 1 LY = 9.4 E+12 km, approximately. This means that the maximum distance advantage over luminosity for Alpha Centauri is 1 in trillion. This is how I arrived at my conclusion.

Hunter Arthur · Answer

undefined The Apollo astronauts didn't capture stars in their photos due to the bright lunar surface, long exposure times required for star photography, and the Apollo cameras' settings optimized for lunar conditions. Stars are visible from the Moon, but the lunar surface's brightness makes capturing them challenging in photographs.