STOCKHOLM, Oct 6 - Three scientists won this year�s Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for advancing our understanding of black holes, the all-consuming monsters that lurk in the darkest parts of the universe. �Briton Roger Penrose received half of this year�s prize for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity,� the Nobel Committee said.
�German Reinhard Genzel and American Andrea Ghez received the second half of the prize for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy.� The prize celebrates one of the most exotic objects in the universe, black holes, which have become a staple of science fact and science fiction and where time seems to stand still, according to the committee.
Black holes are perhaps the most mysterious and powerful objects in astronomy. They are at the center of every galaxy, and smaller ones are dotted around the universe. Nothing, not even light, can escape their incredible gravity. They are the ultimate cosmic dead end. � AP
