Why haven't we observed distortion of objects near a black hole's event horizon?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the lack of observed distortion of objects near a black hole's event horizon, exploring the reasons behind this phenomenon. It involves theoretical considerations and observational limitations related to black holes, particularly supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the absence of observations is due to the distance of black holes, which are too far away to see individual stars or planets near their event horizons.
  • Others note that what has been observed are high energy emissions from material being accelerated and falling into black holes, rather than direct observations of objects themselves.
  • A participant questions the expectation of observing debris falling into supermassive black holes at the center of the Milky Way, pointing out that the center is distant and that radiation from surrounding material complicates observations.
  • Another participant mentions the effects of time dilation, suggesting that objects falling into a black hole would appear to slow down and become dimmer due to redshift, further complicating direct observations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the distance of black holes and the effects of radiation and time dilation contribute to the lack of observed distortion, but there is no consensus on the implications or the completeness of these explanations.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations related to observational capabilities, including the masking effects of radiation and the challenges posed by relativistic effects, which remain unresolved.

Benzoate
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why haven't there been any observations of planets or stars or anything near a black hole's event horizon being distorted?
 
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There are no black holes near enough to see individual stars. What has been observed is the high energy emissions resulting from things being speeded up (and ultimately falling in).
 
mathman said:
There are no black holes near enough to see individual stars. What has been observed is the high energy emissions resulting from things being speeded up (and ultimately falling in).

But aren't there supposedly to supermassive black holes at the center of our Milky way galaxy? Surely scientists should observed debris falling in since there are black holes at the center of our galaxies.
 
The center of our galaxy is pretty far away and the radiation from the stuff circling the black hole masks any individual things. Moreover there is a time dilation effect so that things falling in would appear to slow down and get dimmer (red shift), so that even if we were close enough to see, we would not see the actual infall.
 

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