Stephen Hawking Makes Pioneering Discoveries in Gravitational Field Theory
Overview
Black holes, formed by stars that have collapsed under their own weight, are perhaps the strangest physical objects in the universe. Their gravitational fields are so strong that neither light nor matter can escape. At their center are thought to be singularities, where the laws of physics cease to function normally. Within singularities, scientists believe they can find the keys to the universe's birth and death.
Background
The concept of black holes was first described in 1783 by the Reverend John Mitchell, a British amateur astronomer. Using the simple concept of escape velocity, the speed at which an object must move to escape a planet or star's gravitational field, he theorized that light might also be held to these rules.
Albert Einstein's (1879-1955) theory of general relativity laid the keystone for the discovery of black holes. His system for describing gravity was quickly explored by many other scientists. One of these was Karl Schwarzschild (1873-1916). While serving the German army in the trenches of the Russian front during World War I, Schwarzschild theorized that a star could collapse under its own weight, crushing itself down until its gravitational field became so strong that neither light nor matter could escape.
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