Black Holes
Laplace also came close to propounding the concept of the black hole. He pointed out that there could be massive stars whose gravity is so great that not even light could escape from their surface (see escape velocity). Laplace also speculated that some of the nebulae revealed by telescopes might not be part of the Milky Way but rather galaxies themselves. Thus, he anticipated Edwin Hubble's major discovery 100 years in advance.
Read more about this topic: Pierre-Simon Laplace
Famous quotes containing the words black and/or holes:
“My husband sings Baa Baa black sheep and we pretend
that all’s certain and good, that the marriage won’t end.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“But Father John went up,
And Father John went down;
And he wore small holes in his shoes,
And he wore large holes in his gown.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)