British theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking changed the way we see the universe and its variations. With a career spanning more than five decades, the scientist, who faced debilitating illnesses, impressed the world with his theses and articles until shortly before his death at the age of 76.
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Despite being part of the intellectual avant-garde of physics, hawking he was also known for presenting theories that were too bizarre or outlandish for the times in which they were presented. But just like in the movies, twists happen in real life too.
That's because many of Hawking's theories considered too "absurd" ended up being proven over time. They range from the formation of the universe to black holes. Learn more below:
1. Thesis on the Big Bang
Hawkings theory points out that the universe would have originated from an infinitely small and dense point, called a “singularity”.
The thinking goes against the idea of the “steady state”, which said that the expansion of the universe was continuous and infinite.
Currently, the description made by Hawkings is universally accepted in the scientific community.
2. Radiation Theory
In 1974, Hawking developed the theory that the gravitation generated by a black hole is powerful, with nothing being able to escape from it, not even electromagnetic radiation or light.
The theory became known as "Hawking radiation". This is because, when explaining quantum theory, the British physicist discovered that there was thermal radiation coming from black holes, which can even disappear from the map instantly.
At the time it was released, the idea was prevented from being proven due to technological restrictions, since it was impossible to trace the origin of a black hole.
However, an experiment at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology made it possible to create a black hole in the laboratory, which in fact proved Hawking's theory of radiation decades later.
3. black holes exist
One of the most debated subjects for decades, originating from Einstein's theory of general relativity, the topic "black hole" received special attention from Hawking.
In the early 1970s, the physicist associated two of Einstein's equations with those of mechanics, something that made it possible to transform mathematical theory into something more real and concrete.
For Hawking, the black hole was another type of singularity, which arises when a star completely collapses under its own gravity.
The physicist's theory was only proven in 2019 after direct images of a black hole obtained by the telescope Event Horizon come to light. They brought data from a supermassive matter hidden in the center of the galaxy Messier 87.
