If you are in outer space, can you see stars?

Question

My reason for asking this is because in all photographs of outer space, the space appears totally black.

Answer 1

Yes, they are much easier to see. Most of the time the picture is taken in the bright sun, and the exposure has to be extremely short to accommodate, and the stars don't show up easily.

Answer 2

Yes, you can (provided there's a clear window in front of you, of course). The pictures show blackness mostly because even though the space is black (no air to scatter the light) anything else is probably illuminated by the Sun and the way cameras work this would drown out the background stars, especially with a bad camera. However if you got a good enough camera and pointed it in a direction where there wasn't anything but stars, you would be able to photograph the stars.

As a matter of fact, the 'no stars' idea is used as an argument in favor of the Moon landings being a hoax. However, like most such arguments it fails, for the above reason.

Answer 3

If you're physically out in space you can see vastly more stars than from Earth. The reason you don't see many stars in most photos taken in space is because there's usually some nearby object that's being photographed, like the shuttle, the International Space Station, another astronaut, etc.,. These are all large, very bright objects and tend to wash out the tiny points of light from stars.

In almost all of the Apollo lunar landing photos there are no stars in the sky, and those bimbos who insist that those landings were all faked use that as 'proof' that man never landed on the moon. The fact is that the surface of the moon, which is in almost all photos taken on the moon, is bright enough to wash out points of light from stars.

Answer 4

Yes, you can't see anything but stars and galaxies in outer space. The reason why pictures of outer space may appear starless is because the light exposure has been adjusted so that the foreground image doesn't appear too bright. The foreground image (e.g. the moonscape, or a spaceship, or planet close-up) is invariably a much greater light source, or reflector of light than the ambient background light from the stars.

Answer 5

Great question. If you are in outer space does one look "up" to see the stars? Does the direction "up" exist? What happens to a compass in outer space? Is there a difference if it is inside a space shuttle or on the wrist of an astronaut on a space walk? Why is the earth always depicted with the North pole on top? I understand it's North to us on Earth, but is it viewed as north by a traveling U.F.O.? Is the Earth rotating in Space like a Top on a floor? Or rotating sideways like a roasted chicken?

Answer 6

You can see them at night. Or, if you are in sunlight and carefully shield your eyes from the bright sunlight, you can see the stars. All the photographs you see from space are taken in the day time and the camera is set to record bright, sunlit astronauts and space vehicles, so it does not record the really dim stars. But when the shuttle or space station is over the night side of Earth, so that the sun is hidden behind the Earth, they can see the stars, just like you can at night on Earth.

Answer 7

Yes you can see stars. In fact much more vividly than you ever could on Earth. In space there is no atmosphere to look through so you don't get the anomalies you do down here. The Hubble space telescope is an excellent example. There are also vast areas of darkness, usually between galactic masses, in which nothing can be seen, as if you are in a vast dark desert of vacuum.

Answer 8

"....all photographs of outer space..."? Have you see ALL the photographs taken in outer space? You must have missed quite a few of them, because most of them have stars showing.

Answer 9

Astronauts had said the sky in outer space is fascinating.

Answer 10

Yes you can. It will be much easier to see and you will see many more stars. Earth's atmosphere masks a lot of far stars and distort the image of the brighter ones.