The photons that are getting observed are emitted from the accretion disk, which is not very close to the event horizon.
You can estimate how close to the event horizon the disk is based on how broad the spectral lines are. The part of the disk that is coming towards you will be blueshifted and the part of the disk that is rotating away will be redshifted. From that (which is independent of the overall depth of the potential well) you can figure out how fast the disk is rotating. And from that you can figure out how far away the disk is from the black hole.
Sometimes I despair for humanity [see advertising/social media/politics], but then I see something like this and think, we're doing pretty well for self-taught primates.
It’s pretty fascinating (and scary) to think of the disparity between the brightest among us that are in turn building on the shoulders of giants versus groups of people like outcasts that gather up for the most stupid reasons. No wonder we are facing challenges.
and then we see all of the belief systems to mock, punish, or worse people that are trying to expand human knowledge. looking back at history, you have to wonder where we might be now if there wasn't this attempts at mass eradication of learning. there are times i wonder if we're heading in that direction again. this time, rather than burning the Library of Alexandria or locking everything in catacombs, if we're not just trying to get there on a low-n-slow approach.
The STEM people will just need flashy robes, long grey hairs and market themselves as the magicians that can read the runes, command to the machine spirits of yore, and make the food grow. It's good fun to pester the nerds until the wifi is down.
Fantasy lit is full of stories about the good people rebelling against the evil wizards and their machinations.
Luke fighting Emperor Palpatine? What does Luke or any of the Rebels know about managing an org of Peta-scale population? Or what myriad threats to the galaxy the Emperor was handling with his century of experience, network of millions of loyal agents, and vast magical ability? I'm sure that will all be fine.
The emperor wasn't doing such a great job holding the galaxy together as a political unit, there was a successful overthrow of his rule after just a couple decades in power.
Reminds me of the book "The Last Ringbearer". It tells the story of "The Lords of The Ring" from the perspective of Sauron, Saruman, and the Orks. Turns out, Mordor was a nation in its early industrial stage, of people putting science before magic. Fanatics against science genocide them while painting them as monsters.
I mean it really depends on your personal experience to how your perspective or "where we are now" feels. It's not like everyone is even remotely concerned with or benefitting from this "advancement."
A lot of the so called progress has done nothing but destroyed and distort an enjoyable and peaceful existence.
I guess we might be better off if Pol Pot had killed more smart people than he did. Maybe Trump will win and finish off the rest of us and you can be happy.
You can estimate how close to the event horizon the disk is based on how broad the spectral lines are. The part of the disk that is coming towards you will be blueshifted and the part of the disk that is rotating away will be redshifted. From that (which is independent of the overall depth of the potential well) you can figure out how fast the disk is rotating. And from that you can figure out how far away the disk is from the black hole.