> Just trying to get an accurate idea of what space looks like?

you cannot hold your eyes open for seconds/minutes/hours at a time.

space will never look to your eyes like it does in pictures.

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>but why can’t you see the stars in a lot of published space photos?

because the image is too bright to see dim stars in the background.

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imagine trying to see a birthday candle on the hood of a car with the headlights on.. the entire picture would be washed out if you left the shutter open long enough to capture the stars.