# How Close Can You Safely Get to a Black Hole? | Janna Levin

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nova-presents-1297629/how-close-can-you-safely-get-to-a-black-hole-janna-levin.md
Podcast: [NOVA Presents](https://stenobird.com/podcast/nova-presents-1297629)
Published: 2026-04-08T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_322_8935343d-c926-45f9-a591-c78ec310c499&uf=https%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wgbh.org%2F322%2Ffeed-rss.xml
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/_/322/8935343d-c926-45f9-a591-c78ec310c499/Black_Holes_Myth_vs_Fact_Janna_Levin_AUDIO_01.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/nova-presents-1297629/episodes/how-close-can-you-safely-get-to-a-black-hole-janna-levin
Duration seconds: 109

## Resource

Black holes aren’t the cosmic monsters Hollywood makes them out to be. Astrophysicist Janna Levin explains why they’re so hard to detect, why they’re not as destructive as you might assume, and how you could safely orbit much closer than you think. For more, check out the extended interview with Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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## Transcript

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