Peek At The First Pictures Of Stephen Hawking On 'The Big Bang Theory' (Photo)

CBS has unveiled these first images showcasing one of history's greatest minds visiting one of prime time's hottest shows.

Renowned physicist and cosmologist Dr. Stephen Hawking's long-awaited visit to the network's Thursday night hit "The Big Bang Theory" in what marks a two-week stretch that must have Jim Parson's Sheldon pinching himself.

For the episode dubbed The Hawking Excitation, Sheldon ventures to find his idol after Wolfowitz (Simon Helberg) comes into the scientist's employ. This follows the March 29 episode, in which "Star Trek" icon Leonard Nimoy voices another of Sheldon's idols as a Spock action figure that plays Sheldon's voice of reason.

Hawking, of course, is best known for authoring A Brief History of Time and co-discovering what is known as "Hawking radiation" with his theory that black holes emit radiation in space.

The two special episodes bring to a close what may go down as the show's strongest season yet. Parsons won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in late 2011 (his second time bringing home that category's award, along with his 2010 win), and in early 2012, the show's 16.1 million viewers and 5.2 Feb. 23 overall rating became the first to outright eclipse that of FOX's "American Idol" in five years.

"The Big Bang Theory" is currently contracted through the network's 2013-2014 season.