Ubunzima ngomakhelwane belanga
OSONKANYEZI bathi kwesinye isikhathi izakhiwomkhathi ( celestial bodies) eziseduze kwesimonkanyezi ( solar system) sethu - okuyilanga nezakhiwo ezihambisana nalo okungaba yimihlaba, yimihlabambumbulu ( dwarf planets) yizingamhlaba ( asteroids) njalo njalo - yizona okuba nzima ukushesha ukuziqonda.
Le nkulumo iqutshulwa yisimonkanyezi-mbumbulu esinsundu, esimbaxambili ( dwarf binary star system), uLuhman 16 AB - owakhiwe yinkanyezi uLuhman A noLuhman B ezihlukene ngebanga eliwu-3 Astronomical Unit (AU), okungaba wu-448. 8million km ukusuka elangeni.
Lesi simonkanyezi okungesesithathu kwezisondele elangeni, sibuye saziwe ngoWISE 1049−5319, WISE J104915.57−531906.1. Size saqinisekiswa ngosonkanyezi ngowezi-2013. Emuva kwesikhathi esilinganiselwa eminyakeni emithathu uLuhman 16 AB ecutshungulwa ngososayensi - besebenzisa isiphuphutheki, iHubble Space Telescope (HST) - bagcine beqinisekisile ukuthi empeleni wakhiwe yizinkanyezi-mbumbulu ezimbaxambili ezinsundu ngebala - kayikho eyesithathu njengoba bekucatshangwa phambilini.
Ithimba losonkanyezi eliholwa nguLuigi Bedin, ongusonkanyezi weNational Institute for Astrophysics e-Italy, belilokhu lizibheke njalo lezi zinkanyezi ezimbili - uLuhman 16 A noLuhman 16 B, kusukela zingama-22 kuNcwaba (August) wezi-2014 kwaze kwaba wumhla zizine kuMfumfu (October) wezi-2016.
Ngalesi sikhathi iHST ibisiyakhe izithombe ezili-12 zalesi simonkanyezi - njengoba kuhlongozwa ukuba sibuye sibhekisiswe ngoNcwaba (August) wezi-2018.
Ngokusebenzisa lezi zithombe, uBedin nethimba lakhe bakwazile ukubona imizila eyahlukene lapho kuzungenza khona lezi zinkanyezi, bakwazi nokuthola ngqo ukuthi zikuliphi ibanga - ukusuka emhlabeni - babheka nokuthi ngabe kayikho yini imihlaba ezizungezayo.
Labo sonkanyezi basebenzise indlela okulandelana ngayo izithombe ezithwetshulwe ngeHST ukubheka lezi zinkanyezi “zidansa” esibhakabhakeni.
Empeleni bebeqalaza ukuthi kasikho yini isakhiwomkhathi sesithathu - obekuthiwa kungenzeka kube wumhlaba omkhulu - obekuthiwa sibonakele kusetshenziswa i-European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope phambilini.
Nokho uBedin nezakhe bathi okuvezwe yiHST kukhomba ukuthi kasikho isakhiwo sesithathu kulesi simonkanyezi.
Bathi uma kungenzeka kuba kukhona izakhiwo-mkhathi ezizungeza uLuhman 16 AB, kuyosho ukuthi zincane kunoNeptune futhi zithatha isikhathi esingaphezu konyaka noma iminyaka emibili ukuzungeza lezi zinkanyezi - okuyikho okungenza ukuba bangaziboni.
Izinkanyezi-mbumbulu ezinsundu zivame ukubizwa “ngamawuwa” ( failed stars) ngoba zincane kakhulu ukuthi zingalumbanisa ama- atom amabili e- hydrogen ukuze kwakheke eyodwa ye- helium, okwenza ukuba kwakheke amandla ngaphakathi enkanyezini.
Kwesinye isikhathi uhlobo lwalezi zinkanyezi luke lulumba- nise i- hydrogen isotope ebizwa ngedeuterium - esuke ine- proton eyodwa neutron eyodwa enkabeni ( nucleus) - nokho lesi simo kasithathi isikhathi eside, okwenza inkanyezi iphole ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, igcine isiba nsundu.
ULuhman A noLuhman B bayazungezana bona bebodwa esikhathini esiyiminyaka engama-20 kuya kwengama-40.
Lesi simo-nkanyezi sisebangeni eliwu-2 parsecs (okungaba wu-6.5 light-years - l/y) ( okungalinganiselwa ezi-61.7 trillion km) ukusuka elangeni. Isimonkanyezi esiseduze kakhulu elangeni ngu-Alpha Centauri (1.34 parsecs) (4.37 l/y) (okungaba wu-41.5 trillion km) noBarnard’s Star osebangeni elilinganiselwa ku-1.8 parsecs (6 l/y) (57 trillion km).
U-Bedin nethimba lakhe kubikwa ukuthi njengoba bezimisele ngokuqhubeka nokuhlola uLuhman 16 AB nje, bahlose ukuba bathole konke ngomzila okuzungeza kuwona lezi zinkanyezi, babheke nokuthi kazikho yini izakhiwomkhathi ezingaba zincane ngangomhlaba.
Lesi simonkanyezi sitholwe nguKevin Luhman ongusonkanyezi wasePennsylvania State University futhi ongumphenyi wePenn State’s Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds.
Usithole ngesikhathi ehlola izithombe ezenziwe ngesakhiwomkhathi-mbumbulu ( satellite) uWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (Wise).
Umshikashika wokuzama ukuqinisekisa uLuhman 16 AB uqale ngoZibandlela December) wezi2009- Nhlolanja (February) wezi2011.
Izithombe ezisetshenziswe ukuthola uLuhman 16 AB, zithathwe kusukela ngoMasingana (January) wezi-2010 kuya kuMasingana wezi2011 - noma isimemezelo sokutholakala kwakhe size senziwa ngowezi-2013.
Yize izithombe zithathwe ngowezi-2010-2011, uLuhman 16 AB uke wabhekwa kusetshenziswa iDigitized Sky Survey (DSS) neInfrared Radiation (IR) ngowe1978, Infrared Astronomical Satellite (Iras - ngowe-1983), i-ESO Schmidt Telescope (ngowe-1984), iGuide Star Catalog (GSC - ngowe1995), iDeep Near Infrared Survey of the Southern Sky (Denis - ngowe-1999, Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2Mass - ngowe-1999) no-AKARI ngowezi-2007.
U-Luhman utholakala esibhakabhakeni esisesinquthu esiseningizimu ( southern hemisphere) kwinxanxathelazinkanyezi ( constellation) uVela.