Hawking Radiation? Any explanation welcome

[JPChenet]

So this is a question that's bugged me nearly my entire life. I've read a bit about Hawking radiation of black holes. A particle and anti-particle pair are created on the even horizon and the aniparticle falls into the black hole etc. My question is...

Surely, there will be just as many anti-particles being "radiated" as particles so the black hole, on average, will not emit any actual mass. Am I being stupid?!?

[jake-the-peg]

Yes you're right,

It doesn't matter whether the radiation is in the form or particles or energy resulting from particle anti-particle anihilation, it's still energy radiation escaping.

I think you've got yourself stuck in thinking of mass and energy as sepreate entities instead of interchangable ?

[nescio]

To answer the second part of your question, particles and their antiparticles both have the same positive mass