NgeCawa, nge-15 kaNovemba, oosomajukujuku abane benyukele emajukujukwini njengenxalenye ye-NASA kunye ne-SpaceX edibeneyo ye-Crew-1 mission kwi-International Space Station. Ngelixa bemkayo Umoya womhlaba , babingelelwa bubumnyama be-inky yendawo. Okanye ngaba babenjalo?
Ngoku ka isifundo esitsha icwangciselwe ukupapashwa ngo Ijenali yeAstrophysical, izazinzulu ziye zafumanisa ukuba isithuba sangaphandle ayimnyama ncam kwaphela - eneneni izaliswe kukukhanya. Ngelixa sonke sisazi ukuba iinkwenkwezi zikhupha ukukhanya okuninzi okubonakalayo, sithathe ngokubanzi ukuba isithuba, xa sisonke, simnyama bucala ngokungabikho kweenkwenkwezi. Kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo kumnyama, kodwa kuyabonakala ukuba, akunjalo lonto mnyama.
Isazi ngeenkwenkwezi u-Tod Lauer we-Arizona's National Optical Astronomy Observatory kunye neqela labaphandi bafunda ukukhanya kwindawo enzulu nge-NASA's New Horizons mission, iprojekthi eyayinesihloko sayo sokuqala yayinguPluto. Kodwa emva kokugqiba ukuhlala kweenyanga ezintandathu kwiplanethi yomhlaba, i-New Horizons spacecraft yathunyelwa kwindawo enzulu, kwaye kungoku nje ingaphezulu kweebhiliyoni ezine zeekhilomitha ukusuka eMhlabeni. Kuloo mgama ukude nelanga, sisiphekepheke esifanelekileyo ukubamba imifanekiso yobumnyama bokwenene bendawo.
Isiphekepheke esitsha seHorizons Isiphekepheke seNASA seNew Horizons. | Ityala: NASA
U-Lauer kunye neqela lakhe bafunda ezona foto zintle, ezingenazo izinto eziqaqambileyo kuzo. Bazicombulula ukuba zisuse konke ukukhanya kwimithombo eyaziwayo, kubandakanya neenkwenkwezi ezikufutshane, emva koko bakhuphe ukukhanya ngakumbi kwiminyele ekuthiwa ikhona, kodwa ifunyenwe. Oko izazinzulu zashiyeka nazo yayiyimifanekiso emsulwa yendawo enzulu ngaphandle kongcoliseko lokukhanya. Nangona kunjalo, basafumene ukukhanya-okuninzi.
'Bathetha ukuba kukho ukukhanya okukhulu ngaphandle kweminyele njengoko kukho ngaphakathi kwiigalaksi, le pilisi ilukhuni ukuyiginya, ngokuphandle,' UMichael Zemcov , i-astrophysicist eRochester Institute of Technology, uxelele i-NPR , oxele eli bali kwasekuqaleni .
Kuvela phi oku kukhanya kuyimfihlakalo? Ewe, abaphandi abaqinisekanga ngokupheleleyo. Bacinga ukuba inokuba ivela kwiinkwenkwezi okanye iminyele esingekayifumani, okanye isenokuba yinto entsha ngokupheleleyo. Nokuba ungowuphi umthombo, oku kukhanya ngokuqinisekileyo kuya kuba sisihloko esishushu sengxoxo- kunye nomxholo wophando oluninzi- kangangexesha elizayo.