Why Do Black Holes Look Like They’re Swallowed Whole?

Black holes look like they swallow everything because of how light behaves around them. Imagine a black hole as a super strong vacuum cleaner that pulls in light from nearby stars and planets, making it seem like the hole just ate them whole. But instead of disappearing entirely, the light gets stretched out or bent, kind of like how you see reflections on a spoon, before vanishing.