Ukweqa Umugqa

SEKUYISIKHATHI ESIDE UMUNTU ENESIFISO sokuhlehlisa isikhathi asibuyisele emuva noma asiqhubele phambili abone ikusasa. Ngakho, ubungamangala yini ukuzwa ukuthi ngandlela-thile abantu bahlehlisa isikhathi noma basiqhubele phambili nsuku zonke? Cabanga ngosomabhizinisi waseTokyo ohamba ngendiza aye emhlanganweni eNew York. Uma indiza yakhe ihamba emini bebade, khona-ke ngemva kokundiza ingami inqamule cishe isigamu somhlaba, uyofika lapho elibangise khona ngalo kanye lolo suku ekuseni, cishe esikhathini esingaphambi kwaleso asuke ngaso.

Ingabe kungenzeka ngempela ukuthatha uhambo olude kodwa ufike ngaphambi kwesikhathi osuke ngaso? Cha. Kodwa amadolobha aqhelelene asezigabeni zesikhathi ezihlukile. Eqinisweni, ukweqa i-international date line, umugqa wembulunga ongabonakali, kusho ukweqa umngcele okwavunyelwana ngawo ohlukanisa izinsuku zekhalenda. Akuve kudida lokhu! Kuye ngokuthi ulibangise ngakuphi, kunjengokuzuza noma ukulahlekelwa usuku olulodwa ngokuphazima kweso.

Ake sithi mhlawumbe lapho esebuya, lo somabhizinisi waseTokyo usuka eNew York ngoLwesibili kusihlwa. Lapho ehla endizeni ngemva kwamahora angu-14, kuyobe sekunguLwesine eJapane. Yeka indlela okuyinqaba ngayo ukulahlekelwa usuku oluphelele! Lapho sikhumbula uhambo lwaso lokuqala sinqamula i-international date line, esinye isihambi esingumakad’ ebona savuma: “Ngangingaqondi ukuthi lushonephi lolo suku olwangilahlekela. Kwakudida ngempela.”

Ngenxa yokuthi i-date line iyazidida izihambi, abanye bangase bazibuze ukuthi wavela kanjani umngcele onjena.

Amatilosi Athola Indaba Entsha

Isidingo se-date line sisobala uma sibheka emuva ngo-1522, lapho amatilosi kaFerdinand Magellan eqala ngqá ukuzungeza wonke umhlaba ngomkhumbi. Ngemva kweminyaka emithathu esolwandle, afika eSpain ngeSonto, ngo-September 7. Kodwa-ke, ngokwencwadi yemilando yohambo lomkhumbi, kwakuwuMgqibelo, ngo-September 6. Kungani kwakunokungavumelani? Ngokuzungeza umhlaba elandela ilanga, ayelahlekelwe ukuphuma kwelanga okukodwa kunabantu baseSpain.

Umlobi uJules Verne wasebenzisa isimo esiphambene nalesi senzakalo njengesisekelo senoveli yakhe ethi Around the World in Eighty Days. Ukuze azuze izindodla zemali, umlingiswa oyinhloko kuleyo ncwadi kwakufanele azungeze wonke umhlaba ngezinsuku ezingu-80. Ekupheleni kohambo lwakhe, wafika ekhaya edumele, ephuze ukufika ngosuku olulodwa kunesikhathi esasibekiwe sokuthola umklomelo wakhe omkhulu. Noma, yena wayecabanga kanjalo. Wamangala lapho ezwa ukuthi empeleni wayefike ngesikhathi. Njengoba le ncwadi ichaza, “enganakile, uPhileas Fogg wayezuze usuku olulodwa ohambweni lwakhe, futhi lokhu kwakungenxa yokuthi wayelibangise empumalanga phakathi nalo lonke uhambo.”

Nakuba kungase kubonakale sengathi i-international date line yanikeza indaba kaMnu. Verne isiphetho esihle, lo mugqa wawungenjengoba unjalo namuhla lapho le noveli yodumo inyatheliswa ngo-1873. Okaputeni bemikhumbi babevame ukushintsha amakhalenda ngosuku olulodwa lapho bewela iPacific Ocean, kodwa i-date line yamanje yayingekho emabalazweni abo. Lokhu kwakungaphambi kokusetshenziswa kwesimiso somhlaba wonke sezigaba zezikhathi. Ngakho, lapho i-Alaska isengaphansi kweRussia, abantu bakhona babelandela usuku lwekhalenda oluhambisana nolwezakhamuzi zaseMoscow. Kodwa ngo-1867, lapho elase-United States lithenga le ndawo, i-Alaska yabala izinsuku njenge-United States.

Umlando Wayo

Ngo-1884, phakathi nalesi siyaluyalu sokugcinwa kwezikhathi, abameleli bamazwe angu-25 bahlangana eWashington, D.C., engqungqutheleni ye-International Prime Meridian Conference. Bamisa isimiso somhlaba wonke sezigaba zezikhathi ezingu-24 futhi bavumelana ngomugqa onqamula isikhathi—umugqa owehlayo odlula eGreenwich, eNgilandi.a Waba isiqalo sokubala isikhathi ngasempumalanga nasentshonalanga yembulunga.

Ibanga elizungeza cishe isigamu somhlaba kusuka eGreenwich—izigaba ezingu-12 zezikhathi empumalanga noma entshonalanga—labonakala liyindawo efanele ye-international date line. Nakuba ungazange wamukelwe ngokomthetho engqungqutheleni yango-1884, umugqa owehla nembulunga okuyi-180 degree wamukelwa njengendawo efanele ngoba wawuqinisekisa ukuthi i-date line yayingeke inqamule izwekazi. Ucabanga ukuthi bekuyoba kukhulu kangakanani ukudideka uma kuyiSonto engxenyeni yezwe ohlala kuyo kube kuwuMsombuluko ngalé kwenye ingxenye?

Uma ubheka ibalazwe lomhlaba wonke, umugqa owehlayo okuyi-180 degree utholakala ngasentshonalanga yeHawaii. Uyoqaphela ngokushesha ukuthi i-international date line ayihambi iqonde kulo mugqa. Imazombezombe kuyiPacific Ocean ukuze igweme izwe ngokuphelele. Futhi ngenxa yokuthi i-date line yanqunywa ngesivumelwano sabantu abambalwa, hhayi ngesivumelwano somhlaba wonke, ingashintsha noma nini uma izwe elithile lifuna. Ngokwesibonelo, ngo-1995 elaseKiribati lamemezela ukuthi i-international date line, eyayinqamula phakathi kwalelo qoqo leziqhingi, yayizoqhela ihambe ngalé kwesiqhingi saleli zwe esisempumalanga. Ngakho-ke, amabalazwe anamuhla athuthukisiwe abonisa zonke iziqhingi zaseKiribati zingasohlangothini lunye lwalo mugqa. Ngakho, zisebenzisa usuku olufanayo lwekhalenda.

Indlela Esebenza Ngayo

Ukuze sichaze ukuthi kungani umuntu elahlekelwa noma enezelelwa usuku lapho eqa i-date line, ake sithi uhamba ngomkhumbi uzungeza umhlaba wonke. Ake sithi futhi ulibangise empumalanga. Ungase ungakuqapheli, kodwa kuthiwa uzuza ihora elilodwa ngokunqamula esigabeni ngasinye sesikhathi. Lapho usuqeda uhambo lwakho lokuzungeza umhlaba, uyobe usunqamule izigaba zezikhathi ezingu-24. Ngaphandle kwe-international date line, ubuyoba phambili ngosuku olulodwa kunesikhathi sendawo. I-international date line ilungisa leli phutha. Kuyadida, akunjalo? Yingakho amatilosi kaMagellan noPhileas Fogg wasenganekwaneni baphazama ekubaleni izinsuku lapho beqeda uhambo lwabo lokuzungeza umhlaba!

Labo abake banqamula lo mugqa bawujwayele umuzwa oyinqaba obangelwa ukulahlekelwa noma ukuzuza usuku ngokungazelelwe. Kodwa ukuhamba bekuyodida ngisho nakakhulu ukube ibingekho i-international date line.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Umdwebo/Ibalazwe ekhasini 13]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

March | March

2 | 1

[Izithombe ekhasini 14]

Ngenhla: IGreenwich Royal Observatory

Kwesokudla: Lo mugqa wophawu lwetshe uphawula umugqa oyinhloko ohlukanisa isikhathi