Ummandla Wendalo Omangalisayo—Ngaba Wavela Ngamabona-ndenzile?
ABANYE abantu bathi: ‘Ewe, ummandla wendalo wenzeka ngamabona-ndenzile.’ Abanye, ingakumbi abo bathanda unqulo abavumelani noko. Abanye ke abakaqiniseki. Wena wazi ntoni?
Enoba wazi ntoni na, ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo uya kuvuma ukuba ummandla wendalo uyamangalisa. Khawucinge nje ngeminyele. Kuye kwaqikelelwa ukuba kukho malunga ne-100 lamawaka ezigidi ayo kummandla wendalo obonakalayo. Ngamnye kuyo ubunjwe ziinkwenkwezi ezisusela kwezingaphantsi kwewaka lezigidi ukuya kutsho kwezingamawaka ezigidi.
Eminye iminyele yenziwe yazizihloko ezisusela kwiminyele embalwa ukuya kutsho kweliwaka. Ngokomzekelo, umnyele ongummelwane wethu iAndromeda uye wachazwa njengewele lomnyele oyiMilky Way. La maqela mabini namakhulu eenkwenkwezi adityaniswa ngumxhuzulane. Ekunye nembinana yeminyele engabamelwane bayo, abumba inxalenye yesihloko.
Ummandla wendalo ubunjwe yintarhantarha yezihloko zeminyele. Ezi zihloko zidityaniswe ngumxhuzulane, zenza izihloko ezikhulu. Kodwa ukususela apho umxhuzulane uya ungabi namandla. Izazinzulu zifumanisa ukuba iminyele emikhulu iyabhekelana. Ngamanye amazwi, ummandla wendalo uyanda. Lo mmangaliso wafunyaniswayo ubonisa ukuba ekuqaleni ummandla wendalo wakha wamncinane waza waxinana. Ukudalwa kommandla wendalo kusoloko kubhekiselwa kuko njengogqabhuko-dubulo.
Ezinye izazinzulu zikuthandabuza ngokuphandle ukuba umntu uya kuze ayazi indlela ummandla wendalo owadalwa ngayo. Ezinye zifunisela ngeendlela ekusenokwenzeka ukuba ummandla wethu wendalo wabakho ngayo ngaphandle kokudalwa ngumntu okrelekrele. Ulindixesha iScientific American, kwinkupho yakhe kaJanuwari 1999, waxubusha umxholo othi “Waqala Njani Ummandla Wendalo?” Ezinye izinto ezithethwa zizazinzulu zifunyaniswe zingaphelelanga. Eli phephancwadi lithi: “Ngelishwa, kusenokuba nzima . . . ngezazi ngeenkwenkwezi ukuzihlolisisa ezi ngcamango.”
Ingcamango yokuba ummandla womhlaba wavela ngamabona-ndenzile yeyabo bakholelwa koko izazinzulu zikuchaza “njengethamsanqa” okanye “uzenzele.” Ngokomzekelo, ummandla wendalo ubunjwe ziiathom eziqhelekileyo—ihydrogen nehelium. Noko ke, ubomi bufuna kungekuphela nje ihydrogen kodwa kwaneeathom ezingakumbi ezintsonkothileyo, ingakumbi ikharbhon neoksijin. Izazinzulu zazidla ngokuzibuza ngokuba iiathom ezixabiseke ngolo hlobo zivela phi na.
Ngaba ngamabona-ndenzile abangela ukuba iiathom ezintsonkothileyo eziyimfuneko ekuxhaseni ubomi zenziwe ngaphakathi kweenkwenkwezi ezithile ezinkulu? Yaye ngaba ngamabona-ndenzile abangela ukuba ezinye zezi nkwenkwezi zinkulu zigqabhuke, zikhuphe ubutyebi bazo beeathom ezinqabileyo? UMhlekazi uFred Hoyle, owayekho xa kufunyaniswa ezi zinto, wathi: “Andiyikholelwa into yokuba nasiphi na isazinzulu esasihlola ubungqina sinokusilela ukuqonda ukuba imithetho yenyukliya yadalwa ngabom.”
Makhe siyihlolisise ngenyameko into owenziwa ngayo ummandla wendalo.
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INGCAMANGO YOKUVUTHELANA
Ezinye izazinzulu zikholelwa kwelokuba iimpawu ezithile zommandla wendalo wangaphambili, njengomlinganiselo wawo wokwanda, unokuchazwa ngaphandle kwemfuneko yokudalwa ngumntu okrelekrele. Zibambelela kwingcamango okanye kwiingcamango zokuvuthelana. Noko ke, ingcamango yokuba ummandla wendalo wavuthelana ayiyiphenduli imibuzo yokuba wavela phi. Ibangela abantu ukuba bakholelwe ekubeni wawukho kwangaphambili nto leyo ebonisa ukuba ummandla wendalo wabakho ngengozi.
Ngokutsho kwengcamango yokuvuthelana, ummandla wendalo wakhula usuka ekubeni ngaphantsi kweathom waba ngaphezu komnyele wethu kwisithuba nje esingaphantsi komzuzwana. Kuthiwa ukususela ngoko ukusa phambili, ummandla wendalo waqhubeka ukhula kancinane ngomlinganiselo oqhelekileyo. Namhlanje inxalenye ebonakalayo yommandla wendalo igqalwa njengeqhezwana lommandla omkhulu wendalo. Abo bayimele ngasemva ingcamango yokuvuthelana bemi ngelithi ngamabona-ndenzile abangela ukuba ummandla obonakalayo wendalo ume ngolungelelwano macala onke. Bathi inxalenye enkulu engabonakaliyo, isenokuba yahlukile yaye ingamaphasalala. Isazi ngenzululwazi yeenkwenkwezi uGeoffrey Burbidge uthi: “Ayinakuba yakha yahlolwa le ngcamango yokuvuthelana.” Enyanisweni, ingcamango yokuvuthelana iyaphikisana nezinto ezintsha eziye zafunyaniswa xa bekuhlolwa. Ngoku kubonakala ngathi ukuba le ngcamango ibiyinyaniso, ibiya kuba namandla alwa nomxhuzulane. Esinye isazinzulu, uHoward Georgi, waseHarvard University, wachaza ingcamango yokuvuthelana “njengentsomi emangalisayo yenzululwazi, emnandi njengayo nayiphi na intsomi yendalo endikhe ndayiva.”
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Phantse yonke into ekulo Mfanekiso weHubble Space Telescope ingumnyele
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Pages 3 and 4 (blurred): Robert Williams and the Hubble Deep Field Team (STScI) and NASA
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“Imithetho yenyukliya yadalwa ngabom.”—UMhlekazi uFred Hoyle, eboniswe kunye nokugqabhuka kwenkwenkwezi i-1987A
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Dr. Christopher Burrows, ESA/STScI and NASA
Photo courtesy of N. C. Wickramasinghe