His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake: Twitter pays homage to Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking, the physicist, whose studies in cosmology have been considered legendary, has died aged 76.

Hawking's formidable mind probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time. His work ranged from the origins of the universe itself, through the tantalising prospect of time travel to the mysteries of space's all-consuming black holes.

Let’s take a quick look at how Twitter has reacted to his death:

Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawking’s pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 14, 2018

Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 14, 2018

His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018. pic.twitter.com/nAanMySqkt

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 14, 2018

Stephen Hawking has died on Albert Einstein's birthday. After all, Time is relative.#stephenhawking

— Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) March 14, 2018

The world has lost a beautiful mind and a brilliant scientist. RIP Stephen Hawking

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 14, 2018

“Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny” -Stephen Hawking #RIP

— Chris Reinacher (@chrisreinacher) March 14, 2018

Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014 pic.twitter.com/FeR4fd2zZ5

— NASA (@NASA) March 14, 2018

Stephen Hawking was an exceptional scientist who delighted in wonder & transformed our view of this universe we call home

“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special” pic.twitter.com/OWSIj4BYeC

— Paul Tonko (@RepPaulTonko) March 14, 2018

In loving memory of Stephen Hawking. It was an honor to have him on The #BigBangTheory. Thank you for inspiring us and the world. pic.twitter.com/9rWoYqIToy

— The Big Bang Theory (@bigbangtheory) March 14, 2018