Google is celebrating what would have been Stephen Hawking’s 80th birthday (Google)

Professor Stephen Hawking is to be celebrated with a Google Doodle on Saturday, to mark what would have been his 80th birthday.

A two-minute animation will appear on the Google home page on January 8 to celebrate the life of the theoretical physicist and will be available to view in more than 50 countries.

The Doodle, created by Google art lead Matthew Cruickshank, will take people on a journey through Prof Hawking’s early years and out into space, with the design having been worked on with guidance from the Hawking family and estate, Google said.

Prof Hawking’s theories on the origins and nature of the universe revolutionised modern physics, while his best-selling books helped make the field more widely accessible to millions of people around the world.

One of the most renowned scientists in his field, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22 and given just a few years to live.

The father-of-three was later confined to a wheelchair and relied on a computer to communicate, but continued to travel the world to present lectures and further scientific knowledge, before his death at the age of 76 in March 2018.

The Doodle will also feature the voice of Hawking, which has been generated to narrate some of his most impactful quotes, Google said.