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 c or 299 792 458 m/s which is the speed of light.
Light Pollution (from your city, town, neighborhood) also plays a role in perception.