Black Hole theory to be turned inside out

The world of astrophysics is expected to go into a spin today with rumours the world’s leading scientist is to dispel the myth of the black hole.

Cambridge mathematician Professor Stephen Hawking, dubbed the modern day Einstein, is due to turn his original black hole theory on its head, solving one of sciences long-standing mysteries.

Prof Hawking claimed for years black holes were the bottomless pit of the universe – whatever enters never leaves.

The scientist, who is crippled by motor-neurone disease, was due to address the 17th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR17) in Dublin with his earth shattering turnaround.

Through the 1976 theory Hawking showed under the strange rules of quantum physics that black holes act like a giant vacuum in space, but gave off energy as well.

He explained that once a black hole formed it would evaporate, giving off energy and losing mass.

But this “Hawking radiation” theory caused one of the biggest conundrums in science, creating what experts called an information paradox. Mass cannot simply disappear.

It is believed Hawking will make his revelations public at the conference today at the Royal Dublin Society.

Speaking last week on BBC’s Newsnight he said: “I’ve been thinking about this problem for the last 30 years, and I think now I have the answer to it.

“A black hole only appears to form but later opens up and releases information about what fell inside. So we can be sure of the past and predict the future.”

If Prof Hawking succeeds in overturning his 1976 theory he will lose a bet he and theoretical physicist Kip Thorne of the California Institute of Technology made with fellow scientist John Preskill.

They had argued that information swallowed by a black hole is hidden forever and can never be revealed. The forfeit is an encyclopaedia of Preskill’s choice.