WHAT IS A WORMHOLE?
A wormhole is a hypothetical structure
in spacetime that could connect two
separate regions of the Universe.
Instead of travelling through the
ordinary space between two locations,
a wormhole would represent a shortcut
through the geometry of spacetime.
Wormholes arise as possible mathematical
solutions to Einstein's equations of
general relativity.
EINSTEIN–ROSEN BRIDGE
In 1935, Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen
described a mathematical structure now
known as an Einstein–Rosen bridge.
It is often associated with the idea of
a wormhole connecting different regions
of spacetime.
However, the original Einstein–Rosen
bridge is not considered traversable.
COULD HUMANS TRAVEL THROUGH ONE?
No traversable wormhole has ever been
observed.
Some theoretical models suggest that
a wormhole would collapse too quickly
to allow anything to pass through it.
Keeping a wormhole open may require
exotic forms of matter or energy with
properties that have not been shown to
exist on the required scale.
WORMHOLES AND BLACK HOLES
Wormholes are sometimes confused with
black holes because both appear in
solutions of general relativity.
A black hole is supported by strong
observational evidence.
A traversable wormhole, however, remains
hypothetical and has never been detected.
KEY IDEAS
SPACETIME SHORTCUT
A wormhole could theoretically connect
two distant points using a shorter path
through spacetime.
TWO MOUTHS
A hypothetical traversable wormhole would
have two entrances connected by a throat.
EXOTIC MATTER
Some models require negative energy
density or other unusual conditions to
keep a wormhole open.
TIME TRAVEL
Certain theoretical wormhole scenarios
can produce unusual effects involving
time, but this remains speculative.
NO OBSERVATIONS
Astronomers have not confirmed the
existence of any wormhole.
GENERAL RELATIVITY
Wormholes emerge from mathematical
solutions within Einstein's theory
of gravity.
DID YOU KNOW?
A wormhole is not known to be a real
cosmic tunnel — it is a fascinating
possibility permitted by some solutions
of Einstein's equations.
HAVE WORMHOLES BEEN DISCOVERED?
No wormhole has been observationally confirmed. Wormholes appear in theoretical discussions of general relativity as possible geometries connecting different regions of spacetime, but a mathematical solution does not establish that such an object exists in nature.
Keeping a traversable wormhole open generally introduces additional theoretical requirements, often involving forms of matter or energy with unusual properties. Whether physically realistic wormholes can exist remains an open theoretical question, so they should not be treated like confirmed objects such as stars, galaxies or black holes.
Black Holes · Exploring Space