Once upon a time, I had a maths tutor who decided not to teach maths on this one particular lesson, but instead started telling us all he knew about worm holes, black holes, and our universe. I thought he was so smart then, to use the analogy of an expanding balloon to describe the expanding universe. Later, I found out that it wasn't an original analogy at all. Haha.
But this one lesson really intrigued my mind, which also sparked off the naming of the main website as the Worm Hole. The opening to perhaps another universe. The doorway to limitless possibilities. The romantic notion of there being a completely different world out there, where our rules don't apply. Wow.
During a trip in the winter of 1999, my friend lent me a book by Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time - and I finally got hooked on astrophysics for good. I'm still reading the book, my 2nd time now. I don't think I'll ever completely understand everything, but everytime I read it, there's a new discovery. Something I didn't understand suddenly made sense. Something I thought I understood wasn't like what I thought it was at all. It challenges my mind, all the time. My way of keeping my brain working, maybe.
The exciting thing about this field is how much we don't know about it. Which makes all the speculations more controversial. More fascinating. Of course, the colorful pictures of stars and other galaxial elements are also rather exciting. Out of the world, they say. I would like to clarify, however, that I am more interested in astrophysics, as opposed to astronomy. There is a difference. I can't identify the elements to save my life, so don't point at something in the sky and ask me what it is. I can identify a satelite though. haha.
The glossary [which is not completed yet] is in no way comprehensive. I record only terms I have had an interest in, terms I have taken the trouble to understand. Terms I didn't know before. I read with the understanding of a girl who's studied some physics, including quantum physics. I am an engineer student, which makes certain terms such as 'electron', rather common for me. I am a layman, but I'm not a complete astro idiot, so if the term you're looking for is relatively fundamental and it's not here, you can email me and ask me about it, I'm just too lazy to write every single thing out.
l i n k s
There are certain places I surf to get my information, and my pictures. Such as:
- NASA, obviously.
- The Law List - a list of physics rules/laws. Not necessarily to do with astrophysics. Very comprehensive.
- Quotations from A Brief History Of Time - like snapshots of the book. The glamour shots. hah.
- Astronomy Unbound - very useful site, managed by University of Herfordshire, couldn't have understood many terms without its help.
- Astronomy/Physics Glossary - straightforward glossary. Very in-depth descriptions, some history/philosophy terms, rather interesting to know.
- Astronomy.com - updated regularly with news from the field, a online zine.
- Glossary by NASA - not very comprehensive, and rather simple, but had been useful.
if any of these links 'dies', please let me know. I will try to add terms to the glossary as and when I find out something new. Correct me if I'm wrong as well, I don't claim to be absolutely right. So there, disclaimer aside, here it is: astrophysics terminology - according the layman, ie Cindy Khoo.