system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Will the light from my flashlight touch the moon?

It's a dark night, Little urban light pollution. I have a standard-issue flashlight pointed at the moon. Will the beam hit the moon, however weakly? ALSO: when I turn the flashlight off, does the light beam "clip off" and continue its journey or, have I turned off a proverbial lightsaber? What happens to that beam?

Silly questions I've wondered about since about age 5! Thanks!

P.S. I asked this last night but I think I may have submitted incorrectly; apologies if it's a lame repost.
gpt
Photons generated from a standard flashlight can reach the moon - however, from said flashlight, as soon as they are generated they begin to disperse in a cone type form. By the time the photons have defeated atmospheric interference and reached the moon, they are so far spread out and dissipated that they are absolutely imperceptible  

When you switch off the flashlight, the photons continue to travel - they don't just disappear. But photons move at the speed of light...so as you say, yes, it does "clip off"

One more edit: local light pollution only effects perception.