Which best describes the effect of a black hole on surrounding stars?

The effect of a black hole on surrounding stars is best characterized by its ability to attract and potentially consume nearby stars. A black hole's immense gravitational pull can significantly influence the motion of stars that venture close to it. This attraction is so powerful that stars may spiral inward as they are drawn towards the black hole, leading to the possibility of being consumed if they get too close.

Black holes can also strip material from stars, leading to phenomena such as accretion disks, where the infalling material forms a disk around the black hole and emits X-rays. This gravitational interaction vividly illustrates how black holes actively shape their cosmic environment, pulling in adjacent stars rather than illuminating or shielding them from cosmic forces, which is not a function of their nature.