The world-renowned physicist returns to screens tonight for his hit series, ‘Universe: Where everything begins and ends’. He will continue his exploration of the universe with a journey into darkness: to the centre of the galaxy, where an invisible monster resides. Sagittarius A* weighs four million times the mass of the Sun, and is an object with such an immense gravitational field that nothing can escape it, including light.
For decades, black holes were a thing of theoretical physics — with emphasis on the theory.
However, in the late 20th century, scientific modernisation led to the breakthrough discovery of the first blackhole.
In recent years scientists have ramped up their efforts to study the phenomenon, gaining significant knowledge of the menaces of space.
Many scientists would likely have once turned their noses up at the idea of a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape.
The same can be said for the argument for the existence of God.
Even in scientific circles, for hundreds of years, the question was not one to be asked: the existence of God was an irrefutable fact.
In the modern-day, the lack of evidence for a God has persuaded most scientists that no such higher power exists.
While rejecting the label atheist, Professor Cox has previously said he has “no personal faith”.
Yet, during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s ‘PowerfulJRE’ podcast in 2019, he admitted there was a gap in which the existence of a God could fit within science.
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“We’ll probably find out at some point and it’ll probably have something to do with the laws of nature.”
It was at this point that the physicist said he was eager not to come across as pompous.
He continued: “But I’m always careful, science can sometimes sound arrogant, it can sound like it’s the discipline of saying to people, ‘Well you’re not right., but it’s not that, it’s actually saying, ‘This is what we’ve found out.’
“I like to say it provides a framework in which, if you want to philosophise or you want to do theology ‒ you want to ask these deep questions about why we’re here ‒ you have to operate in that framework because it’s an observational framework.”
He went on to say that science is unable to answer “ultimate questions” at the moment, including whether the universe had a beginning.
Prof Cox also said the universe “might be eternal” and that science might discover this at a later stage.
This would, however, likely diminish the case for a creator, as: “What place is there for a creator in something that is eternal?”
‘Universe’ airs tonight on BBC Two at 9pm.