Why was Neil Armstrong's shadow in the wrong direction?

Answer 1

It wasn't. People look at how shadows look on the Moon but forget to compare them with shadows on Earth, which also appear to be at angles, especially on uneven ground. And the Moon's surface is very uneven, but it is not easy to tell in some of the pics. If you could somehow hover over the Apollo sites, you would see the shadows as parallel, because they actually are. It is just the wide-angle lens and the uneven ground, etc. making it look weird.

Answer 2

Neil Armstrong's shadow appeared to be pointing in the wrong direction in the iconic "moon landing" photograph because the sun was the primary light source, causing the shadow to be cast in a direction that seemed inconsistent to the casual viewer. Additionally, the uneven lunar surface and the angle of the sun played a role in creating this visual illusion.