Part 6/16:
However, Stephen Hawking challenged this complacency. He delved into quantum effects around black holes, drawing on the concept of quantum vacuum activity—the fluctuating energy present even in empty space. Hawking's insight was that pairs of particles could be produced near the event horizon, with one falling in and the other escaping as radiation. This process, known as Hawking radiation, implies black holes are not entirely black; they emit energy and slowly evaporate over time.