Two weeks before passing away peacefully,
renowned physicist Stephen Hawking predicted
the end of the universe. In his final work
titled A Smooth Exit From Eternal Inflation,
Hawking predicted how our universe would eventually
fade to darkness as the stars run out of energy.
Hawking completed a theory outlining his prediction
for the end of the universe just two weeks
before his death and the work has emerged.
According to CNBC, the world-famous physicist,
who died last Wednesday at the age of 76,
was a co-author of a mathematical paper in
which he sought to prove the so-called “multiverse”
theory. According to a report by U.K. newspaper
The Sunday Times, this theory imagines the
existence of many separate universes other
than our own.
In his final work, he predicted how our universe
would eventually fade to darkness as all the
stars run out of energy. Alongside his co-author
Professor Thomas Hertog of Belgium’s KU
Leuven University, Hawking also proposed a
way in which scientists might be able to find
alternate universes by using probes on spaceships.
This would allow humans to attain a more accurate
understanding of our own universe, decipher
what else is out there, and ultimately realize
our place in the cosmos. “He has often been
nominated for the Nobel and should have won
it. Now he never can,” Hertog told The Sunday
Times in an interview published Sunday.
Hawking, who was perhaps best known for his
work on black holes and the theory of relativity,
had previously posited the idea that Earth
would turn into a giant ball of fire by 2600.
Therefore, humans would eventually need to
colonize another planet or face extinction,
he said.
“Somewhere in the cosmos, perhaps, intelligent
life may be watching these lights of ours
aware of what they mean,” Hawking said.
“Or do our lights wander a lifeless cosmos,
unseen beacons announcing that here on our
rock, the universe discovered its existence?”
At least Hawking’s theory about the end
of the universe sounds like a calm and peaceful
way for it to go out.
