How does time behave for an observer near a black hole compared with someone on Earth?

How does time behave for an observer near a black hole compared with someone on Earth?

• A. It speeds up
• B. It slows down
• C. It runs the same
• D. It stops completely

Answer: (B)

Gravitational time dilation explains this. Clocks run slower in stronger gravity, so near a black hole the passage of time is stretched compared with a clock on Earth. Locally, the person near the hole ages normally, but compared to someone on Earth, less time passes for them in the same interval. In other words, time near the black hole slows down relative to Earth. The effect becomes extreme as you approach the event horizon, and signals from that region appear increasingly redshifted and delayed to faraway observers.

Gravitational time dilation explains this. Clocks run slower in stronger gravity, so near a black hole the passage of time is stretched compared with a clock on Earth. Locally, the person near the hole ages normally, but compared to someone on Earth, less time passes for them in the same interval. In other words, time near the black hole slows down relative to Earth. The effect becomes extreme as you approach the event horizon, and signals from that region appear increasingly redshifted and delayed to faraway observers.