Physics and space are always fascinating as they make us realize that there are so many things that are beyond our imagination and reach. They help us see how massive the world really is. One of the topics that is bewildering and captivating would be that of wormholes.
Sounds like a funny name, doesn’t it? Holes caused by worms? I’ll explain the concept just that way! Imagine a long sheet of paper and a worm and the worm needs to get from one end, A, to the other, B, but in seconds. This task is impossible as the paper is too long and the worm is too slow. If there was a way that point B was placed below point A, the worm could just eat through the paper and reach its destination in a second! This is what a wormhole does. It’s a hole that connects two points in space or time that are far apart and reduces the time and energy needed to travel from one point in space or time to another.

1. A wormhole is actually a very tiny tear in the fabric of space-time, about 10^-33 cm.
2. It is an idea that has blurry lines and was most explored by Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen. They called wormholes the Einstein-Rosen Bridge.
3. They connect two places in any space or time. It is theoretically a shortcut from one point to another.
4. They have two mouths and a throat that connects the two.
5. They appear frequently but cannot be captured or used as they collapse within seconds.
6. They are extremely unstable and any foreign matter around it would make it collapse and this might lead to the capture of the matter along with the emission of radiation.
7. There is no telling where one might land if they successfully enter the wormhole as it might take us to a different time or a different universe altogether.
8. Something known as an exotic matter is required to stabilize wormholes but even with that, it could still violently react to human/regular matter.
9. The formation of a black hole forms a wormhole so for wormholes that could fit humans, we’d require larger black holes.
10. Once you travel using the wormhole, you’d be stuck wherever you land as you won’t find a wormhole back to the same location in the same era or universe. So wormhole travel is a one-way ticket.

Scientists have been trying to gather data about wormholes but they are quite far away and they do not last for more than a few seconds. Moreover, their presence near a black hole makes the usage of spaceships even more impossible. Scientists have been trying to create wormholes in the lab but except for theoretical ideas, no one really understands this concept too well. Every scientist represents a wormhole in their own way. While scientists develop new technology, we can only wait to be able to experience and understand the marvel of wormholes.

Image Courtesy: alamy.com, abc.net.au, chalkdustmagazine.com, u2.lege.net, EVE: Valkyrie

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