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Objects entering a black hole undergo spaghettification

Extreme gravitational gradients stretch falling matter into long thin strings

As an object approaches a black hole, the gravitational pull on its near side is drastically stronger than on its far side. This intense differential tidal force stretches the falling object vertically while compressing it horizontally, a process astrophysicists officially term spaghettification.

Where this comes from

ESA

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Tags: black hole, gravity, spaghettification

Objects entering a black hole undergo spaghettification: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Extreme gravitational gradients stretch falling matter into long thin strings. The figure is taken from ESA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.