A wormhole is a speculative structure linking disparate points in spacetime, and is based on a special solution of the Einstein field equations. A wormhole can be visualized as a tunnel with two ends at separate points in spacetime (i.e., different locations, different points in time, or both).
Wormholes are consistent with the general theory of relativity, but whether wormholes actually exist remains to be seen.
Wormholes were first theorized in 1916.
Just like black holes were predicted by Einstein’s theory of gravity long before they were experimentally observed, the existence of wormholes, too, has been predicted. Ludwig Flamm, in 1916, first discovered that they could exist.
In 1935, Einstein and physicist Nathan Rosen used the theory of general relativity to elaborate on the idea, proposing the existence of “bridges” through space-time.
These bridges connect two different points in space-time, theoretically creating a shortcut that could reduce travel time and distance.
The shortcuts came to be called Einstein-Rosen bridges, or wormholes.
However, the presence of wormholes has not yet been established through observation or inference by astronomers.
