Stephen Hawking's voice will be beamed into space

Stephen Hawking

A message from late British astrophysics giant Stephen Hawking will be beamed towards the nearest black hole as his remains are laid to rest in London's Westminster Abbey on Friday. As the ashes of the British theoretical physicist are interred, a specially-written composition featuring his famous synthesised voice will be beamed into space by the European Space Agency.

"This is a beautiful and symbolic gesture that creates a link between our father's presence on this planet, his wish to go into space and his explorations of the universe in his mind," said his daughter Lucy Hawking. The wheelchair-bound professor, who dedicated his life's work to unravelling the mysteries of the universe and fought to overcome his disability, will be buried by the graves of fellow science greats Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

"The broadcast will be beamed towards the nearest black hole, 1A 0620-00, which lives in a binary system with a fairly ordinary orange dwarf star," Hawking's daughter said. "It is a message of peace and hope, about unity and the need for us to live together in harmony on this planet." Hawking, who captured the imagination of millions around the world, died on March 14 aged 76.

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