Ukuqonda kwasemandulo ngelanga
ILANGA laliyinto engcwele, likhonzwa ezizweni eziningi emandulo. Emasikweni akudala ilanga lalithathwa njengonkulunkulu noma isakhiwo esiqukethe amandla obunkulunkulu. Lalikhonzwa e-Egypt, kwi-Inca Empire endaweni osekuyiColombia namuhla nakuma-Aztec aseMexico. Imihlobiso eminingi ibiyenziwa ibe nezigigaba eziphathelene nelanga. Abase-Egypt babeveza unkulunkulu uRa ehamba esibhakabhakeni ngomkhumbi ohlotshiswe ngokusalanga, ephelezelwa ngonkulunkulwana. AmaGreek ayenonkulunkulu onguHelios - oqanjwe ngelanga - owayekhwele ikalishi elalidonswa ngamahhashi asabekayo.
Ngesikhathi kubusa u-Elagabalus eRome ngowama-203-204, kwakuneholidi lokuzalwa kwelanga ligujwa njengoSol Invictus (okungatolikwa ngokuthi yilanga elinganqobeki) uma ubusika sebuphakathi. Ngokusombuluka kwenkulungwa- nenyaka (millenium), ngaphambi kokuba kuzalwe uJesu, osonkanyezi baseBabylonia babona ukuthi ilanga kalizungezi emzileni owodwa unyaka wonke, yize babengazi ukuthi lokhu kudalwa yini.
Namuhla sekuyaziwa ukuthi kwenziwa wumhlaba uma uzungeza ilanga kwazise uhamba ngesivinini esiphezulu uma usondele kulona (perihelion) kanti uhamba kancane uma uqhelile (aphelion). Omunye wabantu bokuqala ukunikeza incazelo yezesayensi noma yezobunjulabuchopho ngelanga, yinjulabuchopho yaseGreece, u-Anaxagoras (eyaphila ngowamac. 510 – c. 428 BC.
Wathi empeleni (ilanga) kakulona ikalishi likaHelios kodwa yinguzunga yebhola lensimbi evuthayo, enkulu ukwedlula iPeloponnesus (okuyingxenye yeGreece ecishe ibe yisiqhingi - eyizi21,549.6 square kilometres) kanti inyanga yona (kayikhanyi) kuthi uma ibhekene nelanga bese ibonakala emhlabeni sengathi iyakhanya.
Sekuwumlando-ke ukuthi u-Anaxagoras waboshwa wagwetshwa intambo ngoba esolwa ngokufundisa okuphambene nenkolo yangaleso sikhathi, nokho wabuye wadedelwa emuva kokuba kungenelele uPericles owayengujenene wase-Athens, eGreece. Ngeminyaka ye-300 ngaphambi kokuba kuzalwe uJesu, u-Eratosthenes owayengusonkanyezi, engusozibalo nosonkondlo waseGreece, waqagula ukuthi ibanga ukusuka emhlabeni uya elangeni libalelwa phakathi kwezi-755 000 kuya ezi148-153 million km (0.99 Astronomical Unit - AU). Ngekhulunyaka lokuqala uJesu esezelwe, uPtolemy waqagula ukuthi leli banga lingaba yingxenyemugqankaba (radius) yomhlaba iphindwe kayi-1 210 - okungaba yizi-7.71 million km (0.0515 AU).
Eyokuthi ilanga liphakathi nendawo lizungezwa yimihlaba, yaqale yamunyungwa ngusonyazi waseGreece, u-Aristarchus waseSamos ngekhulunyaka lesithathu ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu emuva kwalokho yemukelwa nguSeleucus waseSeleucia. Lo mqondo ka-Aristarchus wachazwa kabanzi ngezezibalo ngekhulunyaka le-1500 nguNicolaus Copernicus.
Ukubonakala kwamashandalanga (sunspots) kwaqoshwa ngesikhathi seHan Dynasty (206BC-AD 220) ngosozinkanyezi baseChina, abagcina le mibhalo iminyaka ngeminyaka. Injulabuchopho yaseCórdoba, Al Andalus - okuyinda- wo manje osekuyiseSpain - u- Averroes, yanika incazelo ngamashandalanga ngeminyaka ye-1100. Ukusungulwa kukamabonemajukujukwini ngokuqala kweminyaka ye-1600, kwasiza ukuba kwenziwe ucwaningo olunzulu ngamashandalanga, lwenziwa nguThomas Harriot owayengusonkanyezi wase-United Kingdom noGalileo Galilei wase-Italy nabanye osonkanyezi.
UGalileo waqinisa ukuthi amashandalanga lawa ayesebuswenimhlaba (surface) belanga - kwakungezona izakhiwomkhathi (celestial objects) ezincane ezazidlula phakathi lwelanga nomhlaba njengoba kwakucatshangwa.
Ngesikhathi umhlaba uVenus uqondene nomhlaba nelanga sikhathisinye ngowe-1032, ungqondongqondo kasonkanyezi wasePersia (osekuyi-Iran namuhla) u-Avicenna, waveza ukuthi empeleni uVenus usondele kakhulu emhlabeni kunaselangeni.
Ngowe-1672, usonkanyezi waseItaly, uGiovanni Cassini nowaseFrance uJean Richer, bakwazi ukuthola ibanga ukusuka emhlabeni kuya kuMars okwenza bakwazi ukubala ukusuka kuMars kuya elangeni.
Ngowe-1666, u-Isaac Newton wathola ukuthi ilanga linemibala eyahlukene. Ngeminyaka ye-1800, yilapho kwaqala khona ukucutshungulwa kwelanga kubhekwa imibala yalo. Ilanga-ke njengoba sike sa-sho phamabilini ukuthi lizunge-zwa yimihlaba eyisi-8; emine yayo igcwele amatshe nomhlabathi - iMercury, iVenus, i-Earth neMars - kube yizinkunzimalanga ezigcwele amagesi okuyiJupiter neSaturn kanti emibili yokugcina okuwu-Uranus noNeptune ingxenye enkulu yayo yiqhwa.
Isimonkanyezi selanga sizungezwa nayimihlabambumbulu eyisihlanu okubalwa kuyona iPluto, iMakemake, iCeres, i-Eris neHuamea. Kukhona nenxanxathelazingamhlaba (asteroid belt), yinqwaba yoshiyamsila (comets) nenqwaba yezakhiwo eziyiqhwa ezizungeza ilanga ngemuva kweNeptune - okubalwa kuzona ezikwiKuiper belt nezingamhlabambumbulu (Sednoids).
Kunezakhiwo, izinkampani ngisho abantu imbala abaqanjwe ngelanga. Iphephandaba ILANGA liqanjwe ngale nkanyezi, iNkosi yamaNazaretha uGalilee “JG” Shembe inikwe leli gama ithatha esokuhola ibandla, ikilabhu kanobhutshuzwa yaseMozambique iCosta do Sol iqanjwe ngelanga njalo njalo. Umthombo ngabe: en.wikipedia.org