Theoretical thermal radiation predicted to be emitted by black holes due to quantum effects near the event horizon. This radiation causes black holes to slowly evaporate, with smaller black holes radiating away faster than larger ones.
Named after Stephen Hawking, who predicted this phenomenon in 1974 by applying quantum field theory to curved spacetime near black holes. The discovery revolutionized our understanding by showing that black holes have temperature and entropy, connecting thermodynamics with gravity.
Hawking radiation means black holes aren't truly black - they glow like hot coals, but paradoxically, smaller black holes are hotter than larger ones! A black hole with the mass of the Sun would be colder than the cosmic microwave background, but one with the mass of a mountain would explode like a billion hydrogen bombs.
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