Impendulo emfutshane ixhomekeke ekubeni ubalo lwenziwa nini nokuba yintoni efanele ukubizwa ngokuba yinyanga eqinisekisiweyo. Umfanekiso obalulekileyo wangexesha elithile luluhlu lobalo luka-2023: lwabala iisathelayithi zendalo ezaziwayo ezili-285 ezijikeleza iiplanethi ezisibhozo. Uninzi lwazo lwalungengomfanekiso omncinane weNyanga yoMhlaba. Zisusela kwizinto ezincinane nezinemilo engaqhelekanga ukuya kwihlabathi elikhulu kuneMercury, zineembonakalo-mhlaba neembali ezahlukileyo kakhulu. Ekubeni izazi ngeenkwenkwezi ziqhubeka nokufumana nokuqinisekisa iinyanga ezincinane, inani elingachazwanga ixesha elibhekisa kulo linokulahlekisa ngokukhawuleza.
Ubalo luka-2023, iplanethi nganye
Kuloo mfanekiso ka-2023, iMercury neVenus zazingenazo iinyanga ezaziwayo. Umhlaba wawunenye, iMars zazinezimbini, iJupiter zazinezingama-95, iSaturn zazinezingama-146, iUranus zazinezingama-27, yaye iNeptune zazinezingama-14. Xa la manani edibene, afikelela kuma-285. Iiplanethi ezinkulu zenza phantse lonke elo nani: iJupiter, iSaturn, iUranus neNeptune xa zidibene zazineenyanga ezaziwayo ezingama-282, ngoxa iiplanethi ezine zangaphakathi zazinezintathu.
La ngamanani akuluhlu lobalo, ayingobungqina bokuba iplanethi nganye inenani elingaguqukiyo nelokugqibela leenyanga. Amanani anokutshintsha xa uhlolo lutyhila izinto ezingabonakali lula, xa uphando olulandelayo lumisela umjikelo wento, okanye xa kuhlolwa ngokutsha ubume bayo. Uluhlu olwahlukileyo lunokubonisa nemihla eyahlukileyo yokuvalwa kobalo okanye imigaqo eyahlukileyo yokubala inyanga njengeqinisekisiweyo. Ngoko ke, eli nani kufuneka liqondwe ngokuthi “ezaziwayo nezibaliweyo kolu luhlu lobalo lomhla othile,” kungekhona inani lazo zonke iinyanga ezikhoyo.
Oku kungalingani kunengcaciso yokoqobo. Iiplanethi ezinkulu zinobunzima obungaphezulu lee koMhlaba, yaye zinokubamba izinto ezininzi ezijikeleza kuzo; imimandla yazo engaphandle ikwanamaqela eenyanga ezincinane. Uninzi lwazo lunemilo engaqhelekanga yaye luhamba kwiindlela ezikude okanye ezithambekele ngokwahlukileyo. Amanani amakhulu eenyanga awathethi ukuba zonke zinokuthelekiswa nale nyanga iqaqambileyo nengqukuva ibonakala isuka eMhlabeni.
Ezona nyanga zinkulu zitshintsha indlela esibona ngayo ubungakanani
Ezona nyanga zinkulu lihlabathi ngokwazo. IGanymede yeJupiter yeyona nyanga inkulu kwiNkqubo yeZijikelezi-langa, inobubanzi obumalunga neekhilomitha eziyi-5,268. Inkulu ngobubanzi kuneMercury, enobubanzi obumalunga neekhilomitha eziyi-4,879. Loo thelekiso luyamangalisa kuba iMercury yiplanethi, kanti iGanymede yisathelayithi; xa kuthelekiswa ubungakanani, eyona nto ibalulekileyo ngumzimba ngokwawo, kungekhona igama lawo okanye into oyijikelezayo.
ITitan yeSaturn isondele emva kwayo, inobubanzi obumalunga neekhilomitha eziyi-5,150. Inomoya ojikeleze umzimba wayo, namachibi neelwandle zeehydrocarbon ezilulwelo kumphezulu wayo. IGanymede neTitan zombini zinkulu kuneNyanga yoMhlaba, enobubanzi obumalunga neekhilomitha eziyi-3,475. Ngoko ke, iqabane loMhlaba alikho kufutshane nencopho yoluhlu lobukhulu, nangona lilawula isibhakabhaka sethu sasebusuku yaye liye labumba iikhalenda, amaza olwandle nokuhlolwa kwendawo ngabantu.
Ubungakanani bodwa abuchazi yonke into. I-Io yeJupiter incinane kuneNyanga yoMhlaba kodwa inentaba-mlilo ezisebenza ngamandla akhethekileyo. I-Europa, nayo encinane, lihlabathi elinomkhenkce elinomphezulu nengaphakathi elibangela umdla omkhulu kwezenzululwazi. IGanymede inomhlaba wayo wemagnethi. Lo mahluko ubonisa isizathu sokuba “ezona nyanga zinkulu” zibe sisiqalo esiluncedo, kungekhona uluhlu olubonisa ukubaluleka kwenzululwazi. Ukuze ubone indlela iinyanga neeplanethi ezinxulumana ngayo kwinkqubo ebanzi, imephu esebenzisanayo yeNkqubo yeZijikelezi-langa yesayithi ibonisa iindawo ezikuzo ngoku iiplanethi.
IJupiter neSaturn: iinkqubo ezixineneyo
Ezona nyanga zine zinkulu zeJupiter—i-Io, i-Europa, iGanymede neCallisto—zidla ngokubizwa ngokuba ziinyanga zaseGalili, ngegama likaGalileo Galilei owazibona ngo-1610. Zinkulu ngokwaneleyo ukuba nganye ibe neempawu zayo ezikhethekileyo: umphezulu wentaba-mlilo we-Io, umkhenkce we-Europa, ubukhulu beGanymede nomhlaba weCallisto ogcwele imingxuma eveliswe ziimpembelelo zezinto ezisemajukujukwini zinika iirekhodi ezine ezahluke gqitha zenkqubo enye yeeplanethi. Ezi zinyanga zimbalwa kuphela kuluhlu olukhulu ngakumbi lweesathelayithi ezaziwayo zeJupiter.
Inani leSaturn kolu luhlu lobalo luka-2023 laliphezulu nangakumbi, kodwa ukongamela kwayo ngamanani akuthethi ukuba zonke iinyanga zayo zinkulu. Inxalenye enkulu yenani lilonke ziisathelayithi ezincinane, kuquka izinto ezinxulumene namakhonkco namaqela eenyanga. ISaturn ikwanayo iTitan, ihlabathi elibalaseleyo elinomoya ongqindilili, neEnceladus, inyanga encinane enomkhenkce eyaziwa ngezinto eziphuma kummandla wayo osemazantsi. Ubalo lubala inyanga nganye eqinisekisiweyo njengongeniso olunye; alubonisi ubungakanani bayo, ukusebenza kwayo okanye umdla wenzululwazi kuyo.
Iinyanga ezikude neqabane elikufutshane loMhlaba
IUranus neNeptune zongeza iinyanga ezininzi kuluhlu lobalo lweeplanethi, kuquka ezimbalwa ezinkulu nezisathelayithi ezininzi ezincinane. ITriton yeNeptune iphawuleka ngokujikeleza kwicala elichaseneyo nelokujikeleza kweNeptune. Le ndlela ingaqhelekanga sesinye sezizathu ezenza izazinzulu zicinge ukuba iTriton isenokuba yabanjwa ngumxhuzulane weNeptune, kunokuba yabunjwa kwindlela ekuyo ngoku ecaleni kweNeptune. Ezona nyanga ziphambili zeUranus zincinane kakhulu kuneGanymede neTitan, kodwa ziquka imizimba eyahlukeneyo enomkhenkce namatye.
INyanga yoMhlaba inendawo encinane kubalo olwahlula iiplanethi, kodwa ubudlelwane bayo noMhlaba bubalasele ngendlela engaqhelekanga. Inkulu xa ithelekiswa neplanethi eyijikelezayo, yaye ikufutshane ngokwaneleyo ukuba ibonakale ngeliso lenyama njengento eqaqambileyo eneenkcukacha. Izigaba zayo ezitshintshayo zibangelwa kukukhanya kweLanga kwiindawo ezahlukileyo zesiqingatha seNyanga esijonge eMhlabeni. Isikhokelo sezigaba zeNyanga sichaza loo ndlela; ikhalenda yezigaba zeNyanga inika amaxesha achanekileyo ezigaba ngenyanga.
Oko ubalo lweenyanga olunokukuxelela—noko lungenakukuxelela
Inani leenyanga zeplanethi libonisa imeko ethile yohlolo nohlelo, kanye njengokuba lichaza izinto eziyijikelezileyo. Iinyanga ezincinane nezikude kunzima ukuzibona kunezinkulu, yaye into esandul’ ukubonwa ifuna ukuqwalaselwa ngokwaneleyo ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuba ilandela umjikelo ozinzileyo. Yiloo nto itheyibhile yamanani aqhelekileyo ifanele ibonise umhla, nesizathu sokuba uluhlu olutsha lobalo lunokwahluka nangona iinkqubo zeeplanethi zingatshintshanga ngesiquphe.
Xa ulungiselela ukubukela isibhakabhaka, inani leenyanga aliloncedo kangako njengokujonga iNyanga kwindawo okuyo. Isigaba sayo, ixesha lokuphuma nendawo ekuyo kuxhomekeke kumhla nakwindawo okuyo; umzekelo, iphepha leNyanga lesiXeko saseNew York libonisa isigaba nokukhanya kwayo, kunye nexesha lokuphuma nokutshona kweNyanga, ukuphakama kwayo esibhakabhakeni, icala ejonge ngakulo, umgama wayo nembonakalo yesibhakabhaka enemozulu yalapho. Ubalo lweNkqubo yeZijikelezi-langa luphendula umbuzo wokuba zingaphi iinyanga ezazibaliwe kuluhlu lobalo oluthile. Ukujonga phezulu kubalisa ibali elahlukileyo: yeyiphi inyanga eza kuba ngaphezu komgca wesibhakabhaka sakho ngobu busuku.