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Q:
Is it possible that a black hole could become so isolated that it becomes essentially invisible?
A:
Yes. There are three ways to detect black holes: (1) By observing
X-rays or other forms of light emitted by gas falling into a black
hole; (2) By observing the gravitational effects of black holes on
nearby such as stars; (3) By observing the gravitational lensing of
light by a black hole in front of a background star or galaxy. This last
method is difficult to prove because other types of objects such as
neutron stars are difficult to rule out. The first two methods, which
have been used to discover many stellar mass black holes and
supermassive black holes, require nearby gas or stars. If a black hole
is so isolated that no gas or stars are in the vicinity, it will become
essentially invisible.
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