Ukufiphala Kwelanga—Nokuhlaba Umxhwele Kwesayensi Yezinkanyezi

U-MAY 10, 1994, wawuwusuku oluyingqayizivele, kubantu abathile eNyakatho Melika. Kwakuyisikhathi sokuba inyanga ifiphaze ingxenye egqamile yelanga. Amahora ambalwa, abantu baqasheliswa lesayensi yezinkanyezi ehlaba umxhwele. Kodwa kuyini ngempela lokhu kufiphala?

Ukufiphala kwenzeka lapho kukhona “ukusithibezwa ngokuphelele noma ngokwengxenye kwendikimba eyodwa yasemkhathini isithibezwa enye, kuye ngokuthi umuntu ukuphi nendawo.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language) Ukufiphala kwelanga noma kwenyanga kungenzeka kuphela lapho umhlaba, ilanga, nenyanga kucishe kume kuqondane. Ukuthi kufiphala ilanga noma inyanga yini kuxhomeke ekutheni iyiphi indikimba yasemkhathini esithibeziwe. Ngezinye izikhathi umhlaba wenza ithunzi enyangeni, kufiphale inyanga. Ngo-May wangonyaka odlule, kwajika, kwaba inyanga eyenza ithunzi emhlabeni, ejikeni elicijile elingaba banzi ngamakhilomitha angu-230 kuya kwangu-310. Njengoba inyanga yayihamba kancane idlula phakathi komhlaba nelanga, yayicishe ilisithibeze ngokuphelele ilanga. Umgudu walelithunzi wawunqamula iPacific Ocean bese udlulela eNyakatho Melika kusukela eningizimu-ntshonalanga kuya enyakatho-mpumalanga. Kwakubonakala sengathi inyanga yayihamba kancane idlula phambi kwelanga. Eqinisweni, lelithunzi lalinqamula umhlaba ngesivinini esingaba amakhilomitha angu-3 200 ngehora.

Kwasetshenziswa zonke izindlela zokubuka ukufiphala ngaphandle kokulimaza amehlo. Abanye bakubuka ngezibuko zabashisela izinsimbi. Abanye basebenzisa okuthile okuwugqinsi okumunca ukukhanya. Kanti abanye babenza ukukhanya kuhlabe ezimbotshaneni ezisephepheni. Omunye umthwebuli wezithombe wacela othile ukuba abambe ubheseni oyisisefo, kwathi lapho ukukhanya kuhlaba ezimbotshaneni, kwavela imibala ehlukahlukene yokufiphala phansi. Kwakwenzeka into efanayo lapho ukukhanya kuhlaba phakathi kwamacembe ezihlahla. Enye indlela kwakuwukwenza ukukhanya kuhlabe izipopolo ukuze kube nemibala emibili endaweni ephansi emnyama.

Kungenzeka ukufiphala kwelanga izikhathi ezinhlanu nokufiphala kwenyanga okungafinyelela ezikhathini ezintathu ngonyaka. I-International Encyclopedia of Astronomy ithi: “Okungenani kumelwe kwenzeke ukufiphala kwelanga kohlobo oluthile izikhathi ezimbili njalo ngonyaka.” Nokho, ngakunye kwakho kubonakala ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene. Ngakho noma ubani ohlala e-United States eminyene owaphuthelwa ukufiphala kuka-1994 kuyodingeka alindele elinye ithuba ngonyaka ka-2012 noma aye ePeru, eBrazil, noma eSiberia ukuze akubone ngaphambi kwalokho.a

Imfihlakalo Yokufiphala Okuphelele

Ukufiphala kwelanga okuphelele, lapho inyanga isithibeza ilanga ngokuphelele, yayibangela ukwesaba novalo emakhulwini eminyaka adlule. Kungani? I-International Encyclopedia of Astronomy iyaphawula: “Imfihlakalo yokufiphala okuphelele iyanda ngoba abangenalwazi akukho okubaxwayisayo ngalombukwane osondelayo njengoba iNyanga ingabonakali isondela eLangeni.” Lowombukwane uhlanganisa lezizici: “Isibhakabhaka siyaguqubala, ngokuvamile sibe nombala oluhlazana ongachazeki nohluke ngokuphelele ekuguqubaleni okubangelwa amafu. . . . Emizuzwaneni embalwa yokugcina yokusithibezwa kwengxenye yokuqala ukukhanya kuncipha ngokushesha, kube makhaza ngendlela ephawulekayo, izinyoni zihlale ezidlekeni, izimbali zivaleke, nomoya unciphe. . . . Kuba mnyama emaphandleni.”

Encwadini yakhe ethi The Story of Eclipses, uGeorge Chambers ubika “ngokunye ukufiphala okudume kakhulu kwangenkathi ephakathi . . . , okwabonakala njengokufiphala okuphelele eScotland,” okwenzeka ngo-August 2, 1133. UWilliam waseMalmesbury wabhala: “Ngalolosuku ngehora lesithupha iLanga lasitha ubuso balo obukhazimulayo, . . . laba mnyama bhuqe, lashukumisa izinhliziyo zabantu ngokufiphala.” I-Anglo-Saxon Chronicle yasendulo yathi “abantu bamangala kakhulu futhi besaba.”

UChambers wabuye waloba incazelo ecacile yokufiphala kwenyanga okwenzeka ngo-September 2, 1830, okwabikwa izihambi ezimbili e-Afrika: “Lapho iNyanga isithibezwa kancane kancane, ukwesaba kwafikela bonke abantu. Njengoba ukufiphala kwakwanda besaba kakhulu. Bonke bagijima becindezeleke kakhulu beyobikela umbusi wabo ngalesisimo, ngoba kwakungekho nelilodwa ifu elalingabangela ubumnyama obukhulu kangako, futhi babengasiqondi isimo noma incazelo yalokho kufiphala.”

Ezikhathini zamuva impela, ukufunda isayensi yezinkanyezi kuye kwanciphisa ukwesaba kwesintu ngokufiphala kwelanga—siyazi ukuthi ilanga liyophinde livele.

Indlela AmaJesuit Asebenzisa Ngayo Ukufiphala Kwelanga

Emuva ngo-1629, izithunywa zevangeli zaseChina ezingamaJesuit zakwazi ukuthola umusa enkosini ngokusebenzisa ukufiphala kwelanga. Zakwenza kanjani lokhu?

AmaJesuit ayeye aqaphela ukuthi “ikhalenda yenyanga yabantu baseChina yayinephutha, njengoba beyilokhu injalo emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka. Izazi Zezinkanyezi Zasebukhosini zaziye zenza iphutha ngokuphindaphindiwe ekubikezeleni ukufiphala kwelanga . . . Ithuba elihle ngamaJesuit lafika lapho kwakulindeleke ukuba kwenzeke ukufiphala ekuseni ngo-June 21, 1629. Izazi Zezinkanyezi Zasebukhosini zabikezela ukuthi ukufiphala kwakuyokwenzeka ngo-10:30 futhi kuthathe amahora amabili. AmaJesuit abikezela ukuthi ukufiphala kwakungeke kube khona kuze kube u-11:30 futhi kwakuzothatha imizuzu emibili kuphela.” Kwenzekani?

“Ngosuku lwamanqamu, njengoba u-10:30 efika futhi edlula ilanga lalikhanya bhá. Izazi Zezinkanyezi Zasebukhosini zazinephutha, kodwa amaJesuit ayeqinisile yini? Khona-ke, ngaye kanye u-11:30, ukufiphala kwaqala futhi kwathatha imizuzu emibili, njengoba amaJesuit ayebikezele. Manje uMbusi wayesewathemba.”—The Discoverers, ngu-Daniel J. Boorstin.

Isayensi Yezinkanyezi EBhayibhelini

Ukwaziswa ngezezinkanyezi kunikeziwe ngisho naseBhayibhelini. Encwadini kaJobe kuphawulwe izinkanyezi eziningana. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uJehova wamema izinceku zakhe ukuba zihlole amazulu, hhayi ngenjongo yokufundwa kwezinkanyezi noma okunye ukukhulekela kwamanga, kodwa ukuze ziqaphele ukukhazimula kwendalo yakhe. U-Isaya waphefumlelwa ukuba abhale: “Phakamiselani amehlo enu phezulu, nibone. Ngubani odalile lezozinto na? Nguye okhipha ibandla lazo ngezibalo, abize zonke ngamagama; ngobuningi bamandla akhe nangobukhulu bezikhwepha zakhe ayisilali neyodwa.”—Isaya 40:26.

UJobe wabuvuma ubukhulu boMdali lapho ethi ngaye: “Owenza iBhere [cishe i-Ursa Major, noma i-Great Bear], neMpambano [cishe inkanyezi i-Orion, noma i-celestial hunter], nesiLimela [cishe i-Pleiades cluster ese-Taurus, noma i-Bull] namaKamelo aseningizimu [okuqondwa njengokusho izinkanyezi eziseNingizimu Nenkabazwe].”—Jobe 9:7-9.

Yeka indlela isifundo sesayensi yezinkanyezi esiyohlaba umxhwele ngayo lapho uJehova enikeza isintu esilalelayo ukuphila okuphakade! Khona-ke imfihlakalo yembulunga iyokwambulwa ngokuqhubekayo njengoba sifinyelela ekuqondeni injongo kaNkulunkulu ngokuqondene nembulunga yonke. Khona-ke, siyokwazi ukunanela amazwi kaDavide ngomuzwa ojule kakhudlwana: “[Lapho] ngibuka izulu lakho, umsebenzi weminwe yakho, inyanga nezinkanyezi ozimisileyo, umuntu uyini ukuba umkhumbule, nendodana yomuntu ukuba uyinake na?”—IHubo 8:3, 4.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 12]

Photo courtesy of NASA/Finley-Holiday Film Corporation