Another universe existed before the Big Bang, and can still be observed today, says Nobel winner

Sir Roger Penrose claims six ‘Hawking Points’ may be evidence of an earlier universe.

Key Takeaways:

Sir Roger Penrose believes remnants of a previous universe can still be seen today.
He identified six ‘Hawking Points’—regions in the sky linked to ancient black holes.
His theory suggests black holes from past universes evaporated, leaving behind detectable radiation.
This idea challenges traditional views of the Big Bang as the Universe’s true beginning.
Penrose, awarded the Nobel Prize in 2020, has shaped black hole research for decades.

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Penrose’s Theory of an Earlier Universe

Sir Roger Penrose, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, has proposed that our Universe is not the first but part of a continuous cycle of cosmic rebirth. He argues that signs of a previous universe—what he calls an earlier “aeon”—can still be detected today. His theory is based on observations of six unusually warm spots in the sky, named ‘Hawking Points’ after physicist Stephen Hawking. These regions, roughly eight times the diameter of the Moon, could be the remnants of black holes from a past universe.

Hawking theorized that black holes emit radiation and slowly evaporate over immense timescales. According to Penrose, when a previous universe expanded and its black holes evaporated, they left behind traces of energy that carried over into our current Universe. If true, this would mean the Big Bang was not the absolute beginning but rather the transition from one cosmic era to another.

Penrose published his findings in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. While controversial, his ideas align with other theories suggesting the Universe goes through cycles of expansion and collapse, rather than beginning from nothing.

Sir Roger Penrose during interview with Austria Presse Agentur at Institute of Science and Technology, Klosterneuburg, Austria. Sir Roger Penrose Interview at Institute of Science and Technology, Viena, Austria - 21 May 2015 Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science. He is the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford - APA Picturedesk Gmbh/Shutterstock/APA Picturedesk Gmbh/Shutterstock — Sir Roger Penrose during interview with Austria Presse Agentur at Institute of Science and Technology, Klosterneuburg, Austria. Sir Roger Penrose Interview at Institute of Science and Technology, Viena, Austria – 21 May 2015 Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science. He is the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford – APA Picturedesk Gmbh/Shutterstock/APA Picturedesk Gmbh/Shutterstock

A Lifetime of Groundbreaking Work

Penrose’s contributions to physics extend far beyond this theory. He was among the first to mathematically prove that black holes must exist, a concept once dismissed even by Albert Einstein. His 1964 work demonstrated that when an object becomes too dense, it collapses into a singularity—a region of infinite gravity where normal physics breaks down. This discovery reinforced the Big Bang model and earned him the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Despite winning the award late in life, Penrose believes this was for the best. “It’s good to get [the Nobel] when you’re old enough to appreciate it,” he said. Many in the scientific community agree that his work, along with Stephen Hawking’s, has done more than anyone since Einstein to advance our understanding of gravity.

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees praised Penrose’s creativity, while others lamented that Hawking, who passed away in 2018, did not live to share the Nobel recognition. Alongside Penrose, astrophysicists Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez were also awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for proving the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Penrose’s theory of a pre-Big Bang universe remains highly debated, but if further evidence supports it, it could fundamentally change how we understand the origins of the cosmos.