on March 14 2018 physicist Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76. Hawking is best known for his discovery on black holes he proved that black holes don't just suck all the matter they also emit radiation which can be detected by special instruments he called it the Hawking radiation Hawking proved that even the mighty black holes are not Invincible black holes slowly lose their mass in the form of Hawking radiation if a black hole doesn't get a continuous supply of matter for a long period of time it will shrink in size and eventually cease to exist [Music] Stephen Hawking's last words came in the form of a book brief answers to the big questions which was completed by his family following his death this book answered some of the most intriguing questions that Hawking received while he was still alive Hawking was an atheist and always rejected the idea of God or a higher being said there is no God no one directs the universe Hawking also added that for centuries it was believed that disabled people like me were living under a curse that was inflicted by God I prefer to think that everything can be explained another way by the laws of nature Hawking also left a last personal message for all of us when someone asked him how do we shape the future dad remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist curious and however difficult life may seem there is always something you can do and succeed at [Music]