Stephen Hawking Thinks Again

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Stephen Hawking is one of the worlds most famous physicists.  Although smitten in the 1960’s with Lou Gerhig’s disease, he was appointed to Isaac Newton’s old position at Cambridge University in England.

Well-known for his work in extending Einstein’s general theory of relativity, Hawking has also attempted to offer explanations to many cosmological observations.  He is particularly famous for his explanation of the nature of black holes.

A black hole is the final stage in the gravitational collapse of a very massive star.  It is so compressed that it consists of nothing but its gravitational force.  It was always claimed that when something is sucked into a black hole it is on a one way ticket with no return trip.

However, recently Stephen Hawking had second thoughts.  He reported at a conference in the summer of 2004 that black holes are not as all engulfing as he and most physicists once thought.  The belief in conventional physics that black holes destroy everything that falls into them - from the remnants of giant stars to light itself - is now being challenged.

It is encouraging that even Stephen Hawking is prepared to think again.  He suggests that black holes may not be one way streets after all.  Although large objects would almost certainly be lost for ever, Hawking’s latest theory shows that in the end, all information does not simply disappear.

So next time you have second thoughts about something, remember you are in good company.