Dictionary of Paranormal Terms - T

Tazmanian Tiger
See Thylacine.

Telekinesis
The ability to move an object with thought or willpower alone, without the application of a physical force. Some believe that Telekinesis is created by higher levels of consciousness, and that it can not be created by 'wishing it' to happen on the physical level. The energy to move or bend an object is created by a person's thoughts created by their subconscious mind. Only a select few individuals seem to possess this remarkable ability. It is believed by some that Telekinesis was something prehistoric man used instinctively on a daily basis, and modern humans have simply "forgotten" how to use it. Others believe that it is a sign that humans are on the verge of a new level of consciousness.

Teleportation
Theoretical technology for relocating physical objects from one place to another instantly. Having been the subject of Science Fiction for decades, we are still a long long way from being able to construct a working teleporter. A commonly discussed, though somewhat inpractical theory for accomplishing teleportation, is that the complete atomic structure of the object to be teleported would be stored on a computer, and then transmitted to the destination computer, where the object would be re-assembled. This method would never work in reality, given the enormous amounts of computer storage and energy required to perform such a task. In addition, this would fail to teleport a living being, given that the reconstructed 'body' at the other end wouldn't be the person you started with. It is a lot more plausible that in the future, teleportation could be accomplished using warps in space and other exotic means of that nature. Recently some researchers have allegedly succeeded in teleporting a single atom, however this remains questionnable. Even if it were true, we are still a long way off from being able to teleport any large physical object, and even further from being able to teleport a human being.

Teleporter
A device capable of Teleportation.

Tessie
A Lake Monster said to inhabit Lake Tahoe in California. Tessie is spoken of frequently in the legends of the local Washoe Indians, however no conclusive evidence of such a creature has ever been found.

Thylacine
The Thylacine or Tazmanian Tiger was a large carniverous marsupial which is believed to have died out in the early 20th century. The Thylacine lived in the various regions of Australia, and ate kangaroos, birds and small rodents. Although no conclusive records of a living Thylacine have been made since it's alleged extinction in the 1930's, there have been many sightings of what could possibly be Thylacines in recent years. Unfortunately it is still unconfirmed whether or not the Tazmanian Tiger has indeed survived, though many scientists remain optimistic that they have managed to cling on to live through the 20th century and beyond.

Time Travel
Theoretical means with which to travel through time to either the future or to the past. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity suggests that time slows down the nearer to the speed of light an object goes - therefore if an object was traveling at the speed of light itself ( 300,000,000 m/s ) then time would stop completely. From there, exceeding this speed would cause the whole process to go backwards, and in theory at least, you would actually be traveling backwards in time. Unfortunately it is thought impossible to reach the speed of light, generally due to the "infinite mass" brought on as a result of speeds comparable to that of light. Whether time travel will ever be a reality is very difficult to say, as there is no real guarantee that it is even possible at all. Some suggest that 'suspended animation' could be regarded as time travel into the future, but physical time travel into the past appears to be a lot less likely. However it remains to be seen whether or not we will ever possess the technology required to create a 'time machine' so to speak.

Titor, John
A man claiming to be a time travelling soldier from the year 2036. Titor claimed that he didn't care if nobody believed him, and that he was only interested in talking to people from this time period. Unsurpringly, most people regard his story to be a hoax.

TLP
Abbreviation for Transient Lunar Phenomena.

Total Solar Eclipse
An event where the moon moves in front of the sun and completely obscures it for a short period of time. Astronomers in particular find these events highly interesting, as with the glare of the photosphere obscured, the outer layer of the sun, the Carona, can be viewed and studied. The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but by extraordinary coincidence, the sun is exactly 400 times further away as well. This results in a perfect solar eclipse - where the moon fits exactly over the sun. The fact that it fits so perfectly, is rather suspicious. The chances of the size of the moon and the distance from the sun being so exactly perfect for a solar eclipse, are extremely small. Isaac Asimov once commented on this saying "There is no astronomical reason why the moon and the sun should fit so well. It is the sheerest of coincidences, and only the Earth among all the planets is blessed in this fashion."

Trance
In general terms a trance is a hypnotic or cataleptic state, in which an individual remains awake but is mostly unaware of their surroundings. Hypnosis for example often induces a trance like state. Spiritualist mediums can also enter into a trance while attempting to contact the spirits of the deceased.

Transient Lunar Phenomena
Term that is used by astronomers to describe anything on the Lunar surface that is not supposed to be there according to our current understanding of the Moon. Perhaps the first example of TLP was recorded by William Herschel the Astronomer who discovered Uranus. On the 18th of August 1787, Herschel looked through his telescope and saw a glow on the dark half of the crescent moon that resembled “Slowly burning charcoal thinly covered with ashes” In the same year on the 12th of November, two other astronomers noticed bolts of lightning on the moon. About a year later on September 26th 1788, a German astronomer saw a white beam of light among the peaks of the lunar Alps (near to the crater Plato). In July 1821, Franz Gruithuisen, the creator of the meteoric impact theory of Lunar cratering, saw flashing points of light on the surface of the moon, however when he revealed he had discovered a lunar city he was ridiculed by his colleagues and he burned his notes.