How come you can NOT see stars in pictures taken from space?

Question

the Moon landing you could not see any stars, also on pictures from the moon of earth. there are no stars around the earth, just black empty space.

Answer 1

http://www.redzero.demon.co.uk/moonhoax/Stars.htm

It is very difficult to get a photograph of a very dim object and a very bright object at the same time. If you set the camera to take a photograph of the bright object (using a fast exposure) you won't capture the dim object at all. If you set the camera to take a picture of the dim objects, then the bright objects will appear as very fuzzy and over-exposed blobs.

The cameras and films the Apollo missions took with them were also designed to photograph activities on the moon's surface. They were not designed to take photographs of the stars. It doesn't mean the stars weren't there, just that the photographs did not capture them. The exposures were set to work with the brightly light surface and astronauts

Here's more:
http://www.redzero.demon.co.uk/moonhoax/

Answer 2

The human eye is an amazingly adaptable light gatherer, although it has its limits. A camera is even more limited. When one part of the image is very bright and another part is very dim, the camera has to compromise, usually finding a middle exposure value that will preserve the most detail without too much glare. Unfortunately, in outer space, the contrast is so great that the dimmer items, namely stars, aren't bright enough to show in the captured image. The surface of the moon is actually rather gray, but close-up in direct sunlight, its reflectivity will wash out the distant stars.

If you go to an IMAX theater, those places with the gigantic screens, and happen to catch one of those films about the shuttle or building the space station, you won't see stars there either. The foreground images are just too bright, relatively.

Compare a ground-based experience with star gazing. If you live in a populated area, you're lucky to see a hundred stars. Even though the sky is "black" and there's nothing you could call "glare", there's just too much ambient light around. Your eyes can't compensate.

A second problem (with digital images especially) is the apparent size of the stars. They're huge but very far away. You may notice that the vast majority of stars all look about the same size. That's because the smallest size you can resolve is determined by the spacing of "rods" and cones in your retina. If a star's apparent diameter is too small, its light may fall between the rods. If it hits the rod, it will look one rod "wide". Digital cameras also have limits. If a star is less than half a pixel "wide", it won't show. And most stars fit that parameter.

Answer 3

Because, I would imagine, of the sensitivity of the lens.
The "contrast ratio" of the film is too low.
Imagine taking a photo of a darkened theater with a movie playing. When you're sitting there, you can see the movie, and maybe the exit sign, and then shadows and outlines of people, maybe the lights on the floor, maybe even the details on the ceiling.
Then when you take a picture (properly exposed so the movie screen shows appropriate detail), all you'd see in the resulting image is the picture of the movie, and perhaps the exit sign. Why? Because the camera lens (and paper and developer if using traditional film) does not have the same "contrast ratio" as the human eye -- the movie is bright, the camera's iris closes down to ensure that not too much light enters on the imaging sensor. As a result, those dark areas are not properly exposed, and they just become black mush.

I would guess that the same is true with the space photos. The surface of the moon is so bright (as white as it is), and the earth is reflecting so much light, that good pictures have to "stop down" in the camera, causing the dimmer light (here, stars) from being exposed.

Try taking a full-frame photo of the moon with your camera -- I think you'll get the same thing (unless the moon is overexposed, or unless there's time lapse, in which case everything will be blurry).

Answer 4

Short answer: becasue the pictures were taken in daylight.

Slightly longer answer: because the exposure settings for a camera pointed at objects (especially white objects like the moon's surface) are the exact opposite of those required to capture pictures of stars. Now you could have pointed the camera up at the sky and adjusted the exopsure settings accordingly, and then you would be able to see stars, but then you wouldn't get to see the astronauts.

Answer 5

This is a question I can answer as a photographer. It's a matter of light and exposure. For instance, if I'm taking a photo of a bride on a bright summer's day, I have to balance for her dress, since it's likely the brightest thing in the photo. Therefore, if there is anything that's seriously dimmer, it may not show on the photo. Our eyes can pick up a better range than most cameras for some reason, but that may change in the future.

Answer 6

The exposures are not long enough. For stars to appear on film, the exposure needs to be at least a few seconds long. These exposures are just snapshots.

Answer 7

Because the sunlightcreates glare that washes out starlight.