fast orbits

[hoola]

if a spacecraft crew could safely orbit a black  hole closely, and attain relativistic speeds approaching 20% the speed of light, what would they see when looking around the interior of the cabin as far as  visual distortions and color variations?  

[Bufofrog]

1 hour ago, hoola said:

if a spacecraft crew could safely orbit a black  hole closely, and attain relativistic speeds approaching 20% the speed of light, what would they see when looking around the interior of the cabin as far as  visual distortions and color variations?  

Since the cabin and the occupants are moving at the same speed they would see nothing out of the ordinary.  20% of c will not result in big visual changes in any frame.  Even at 99% of c the cabin would look normal to the occupants.

[J.C.MacSwell]

It depends somewhat on the size of the spacecraft and that of the blackhole, which effects the tidal effect between the near and far wall of the spacecraft.

[Bufofrog]

5 minutes ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

It depends somewhat on the size of the spacecraft and that of the blackhole, which effects the tidal effect between the near and far wall of the spacecraft.

Good point I was only addressing the SR aspects of the question.

[Strange]

5 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

It depends somewhat on the size of the spacecraft and that of the blackhole, which effects the tidal effect between the near and far wall of the spacecraft.

I imagine it would be pretty complex to work out what the effects would be (problems like this often have to be solved by numerical simulation, rather than analytically). 

My (relatively uninformed) guess is that the effects of relativistic time dilation, etc. would be much smaller than the "normal" tidal effects which would be pulling the spacecraft apart. I think the dramatic effects in Interstellar, for example, were somewhat exaggerated.