Amanzi kweminye imihlaba ekude
KUVELA ezithi imihlaba eyisi-7 elingana noMhlaba (Earth) ezungeza inkanyezi-mbumbulu ( dwarf star) ebomvu, iTRAPPIST-1, esebangeni elingama-39 light years ukusuka emhlabeni (i- light year eyodwa ilinganiselwa ezi-9.5 trillion km), inamanzi.
Ososayensi bathi le mihlaba izungeza ( orbit) iTRAPPIST-1 sengathi iyadonsana. Ngesikhathi ososayensi bebhekisisa lokhu kudonsana kwayo, bathole ukuthi kungenzeka inamanzi aphindwe amahlandla angama-250 uma kuqhathaniswa nawezilwandle zaseMhlabeni. Bathi-ke ukuthola kabanzi ngesakhiwo sale mihlaba kubalulekile ekutholeni ukuthi ngabe ikhona yini impilo yabantumbi ( aliens) kuyona.
Nokho kuthiwa kusamqansa ukuyicubungula ngendlela ososayensi abafisa ngayo - cishe ngenxa yebanga ekulona njengoba kungeke kuphulele ukuthumela umabonemajukujukwini ( spacecraft) khona ngenxa yokuthi ubuchwepheshe besimanje kabunawo amandla adingekayo ukwenza lokho. Ososayensi bathi ngisho ungathatha umabonemajukujukwini osemngceleni wesimonkanyezi seLanga (Sun), iVoyager 1 - ebisebangeni elilinganiselwa ema-21 billion km ukusuka eLangeni mhla zimbili kuMasingana (January) - kungadinga ukuba uthathe cishe iminyaka eyizi-73 000 ukufika emhlabeni iProxima Centauri b ozungenza isimonkanyezi, iProxima Centauri esebangeni eliyi-4.25 light years (okungaba yizi-40.4 trillion km) ukusuka eMhlabeni.
Ochwepheshe base-University of Bern, eSwitzwerland, basebenzise ubuchule ukuqonda ukuthi umhlaba nomhlaba ozungeza iTRAPPIST-1 ubukeka kanjani. Kuthiwa le mihlaba izungeza ithothene ndawonye. Indlela ethothene ngayo kuthiwa ingangena khanxa yonke ebangeni iZibulo (Mecury) elizungeza kulona iLanga. Njengoba le mihlaba - eqanjwe kwaba yiTRAPPIST - 1b, c, d, e, f, g, no-h - izungeza ithothene, kuyenzeka idale uguquko oluncane endleleni omunye nomunye ozungeza ngayo.
Ithimba lososayensi bamazwe ngamazwe eliholwa nguSolwazi Simon Grimm, weCenter for Space and Habitability (CSH), e-University of Bern, likwazile ukubona ukuphazamisana kwale mihlaba. “KwiTRAPPIST - 1, imihlaba ithothene kakhulu kwesinye isikhathi iye iphazamisane uma izungeza,” kusho uSolwazi Grimm esitatimendeni esikhishwe yi-University of Bern.
Uthi lokhu kuphazamisana kudala ukuba le mihlaba iphume emzileni ezungeza kuyona uma kwenzeka ugqamangabanye [ transit - lapha isakhiwo-mkhathi ( celestial object) sisuke sibonakala sigqamile ngesikhathi sidlula phambi kwenkanyezi esiyizungezayo)]. Uveza ukuthi izinkulungwane zemihlaba engaphandle kwesimonkanyezi seLanga itholwe yacutshungulwa kusetshenziswa uhlelo lukagqamangabanye.
Okubonwa ngosonkanyezi ( astronomers) kwiTRAPPIST - 1, kungabasiza ukuthola isisindo nokwakheka kwemihlaba eyizungezayo. Okumangalisayo wuku- thi emihlabeni eyisihlanu ethanda ukuba lula ngesisindo, kungenzeka ukuthi kunamanzi aphindeke amahlandla angama-250 uma kuqhathaniswa nawezilwandle zoMhlaba, ngokusho kwesitatimende seNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).
Cishe ama-5% ale mihlaba ngamanzi kanti eMhlabeni [hhayi ebuswenimhlaba ( surface) bawo] amanzi alinganiselwa e-0.02%. I-TRAPPIST - 1c ne-d, kubikwa ukuthi izungeza eKuphakameni ( goldilocks zone - lapho abantu bengaphila khona) - lapho ikwazi ukuthola imisebe eyanele yeTRAPPIST ukuthi kungakheka amanzi ebuswenimhlaba bayo.
I-TRAPPIST - 1b - esondele kakhulu enkanyezini, neTRAPPIST - 1c, kuvela ukuthi likhulu ithemba lokuthi inamatshe nengubomkhathi ( atmosphere) ethanda ukushuba ( dense) uma iqhathaniswa neyoMhlaba, ngokusho kocwaningo lukaSolwazi Grimm nethimba lakhe. Kuyona yonke le mihlaba, iTRAPPIST -1d yiyona engasindi kakhulu - ilinganiselwa ema-30% esisindo soMhlaba - okusho ukuthi kungenzeka inengubomkhathi enkulu, ubusomhlaba bayo bembethe iqhwa noma inolwandle.
Ososayensi kabakakwazi ukuqinisekisa lokho. I-TRAPPIS -1f, g no-h, iqhele kakhulu enkanyezini okwenza kucatshangelwe ukuthi ubusomhlaba bayo bugcwele iqhwa. “Siphumelele ukukala ngqo ukushuba kwesakhiwo semihlaba engaphandle kwesimonkanyezi seLanga elingana noMhlaba ngosayizi, isisindo nangokukhanya - cishe kuba li-10% kuphela esingakuqondi, okuyinyathuko enhle ebheke ekutholeni ukuthi ngabe umhlaba nomhlaba kuyaphileka yini kuwona,” kusho uSolwazi Brice-Oliver Demory weCenter for Space and Habitability futhi obeyingxenye yokulotshwa kocwaningo olushicilelwe ebhukwini i-Astronomy and Physics ngoMasingana (January) nonyaka.
I-TRAPPIST - 1e yona ikitaze izinhliziyo zosonkanyezi njengoba bethi yona ifana kakhulu noMhlaba ngokwezinga lokukhanya ekuthola enkanyezini eyizungezayo, wusayizi nokushuba kwesakhiwo sayo. Mayelana neTRAPPIST -1 le nkanyezi iyinkanyezi-mbumbulu ebonwe ngusonkanyezi waseBelgium, uMnu Michael Gillon eminyakeni emibili edlule esebenzisa umabonemajukujukwini, iTransisting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) eChile, eSouth America. Iqanjwe ngalo mabonemajukujukwini.
UMnu Gillon wenze uhlu lwezinkanyezi-mbumbulu ezingama-50 esebenzisa uhlelo lukagqamangabanye ngenxa yokuthi zincane futhi zifiphele.
Ubesebenzisa lolu hlelo nje, ngenxa yokuthi isakhiwomkhathi esidlula phambi kwesinye kuba lula ukuba sibonakale uma useMhlabeni.
Nokho imvamisa kuba lula uma lesi esidlulayo sisincane kunesidlulwayo.
UMnu Gillon kumthathe cishe imizamo engama-30 ukubona ugqamangabanye wokuqala kwiTRAPPIST -1. Ukuqhubeka nokuphenya mayelana nale nkanyezi-mbumbulu nemihlaba eyizungezile, esebe-nzisa iHimalayan Chandra Telescope e-India, waqhubeka wasebenzisa iSpitzer Space Telescope, kumnike isithombe esithe bha mayelana nendlela le mihlaba eyisi-7 ezungeza ngayo iTRAPPIST - 1.
“Kuningi esikwaziyo ngeTRAPPIST - 1 ukudlula zonke izimonkanyezi - ngaphandle kwesethu seLanga,” kusho uMnu Sean Carey oyimenenja eSpitzer Science Centre, eCaltech, ePasadena, eCalifornia, e-United States of America (USA). Kuningi okumele kutholwe ngeTRAPPIST - 1 kwazise ukwazi nje ukushuba kwesakhiwo semihlaba yayo kakuniki isithombe sokuthi ubusomhlaba bayo bunjani. Umthombo: Space.com; Nasa, Spitzer.com; wikipedia.org