Quote:
Originally Posted by xelasnave
I am confused.
I must have it wrong... is the concensus of opinion that matter does not fall into a black hole but remains at the event horizon.
I have no problem that an observer will see that but does the matter fall in or not?
Sorry but I want to be as clear as this stuff can allow me to be I feel I must be missing something... a common feeling for me.
alex
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In the matter's frame of reference it will fall into the black hole past the event horizon.
To all observers outside the event horizon matter will travel as far as the event horizon but not cross it.
What this means in reality is that as matter gets closer to the event horizon, the time interval for a photon from the matter to reach an observer increases due to time dilation. The time dilation is caused by a difference in the gravitational potentials of the observer and the matter.
At the event horizon the difference in the gravitational potentials become infinitely large. Hence a photon at the event horizon will never reach the observer. From the observer's frame of reference the matter appears to be stationary at the horizon despite the fact matter has passed through the horizon.
Regards
Steven