Getting to Know Various Space Telescopes
Isikhala—umngcele wokugcina—indawo enkulu eqhubeka nokuthakazelisa isintu ngezimfihlo nezimangaliso zayo. Ukuqonda kwethu le ndawo yonke engenamkhawulo kuye kwathuthukiswa kakhulu yizibonakude zasemkhathini, ezishintshe kakhulu isayensi yezinkanyezi. Lezi zinsimbi ezithuthukisiwe, ezijikeleza phezulu ngaphezu kokuphazamiseka okubangelwa umkhathi woMhlaba, zisinikeza ukucaca okungenakuqhathaniswa nokujula ekubukeni kwazo. Nasi ukubuka okujulile kwezinye zezibonakude zasemkhathini ezidumile kakhulu eziye zandisa imiphetho yethu.
The Hubble Space Telescope
Akukho ngxoxo ngamatheleskopu asemkhathini engaqedwa ngaphandle kokukhuluma ngeHubble Space Telescope (HST) ehlonishwayo. Yasungulwa ngo-1990 yi-NASA, iHubble ijikeleza cishe amakhilomitha angu-547 ngaphezu koMhlaba. Naphezu kobunzima bokuqala bobuchwepheshe, le teleskopu isibe ngelinye lamathuluzi esayensi akhiqiza kakhulu ake adalwa.
Ifakwe isibuko esiyinhloko esingamamitha angu-2.4 kanye nezinsimbi zesayensi ezahlukahlukene, iHubble iyazigqaja ekuthwebuleni izithombe ezinesinqumo esiphezulu ngamaza okukhanya abonakalayo, e-ultraviolet, kanye naseduze kwe-infrared. Ukutholwa kwayo kube kukhulu kakhulu, kusukela esakhiweni esinemininingwane yemithala kuya ekuhlonzeni amaplanethi angaphandle. Izithombe zeHubble Deep Field, ezibonisa izinkulungwane zemithala kufreyimu eyodwa, zishintshe ukuqonda kwethu ngobukhulu bendawo yonke kanye nobudala bayo.
I-Hubble ithumela njalo izithombe nedatha emangalisayo ekhuthaza amaphrojekthi ocwaningo angenakubalwa, okusisiza ukuthi sifunde ngezinto ezifana nemigodi emnyama, ama-nebulae, kanye nesivinini sokwanda kwendawo yonke. Ifa layo ngokungangabazeki lizothonya imizamo yesikhathi esizayo yezinkanyezi.
The James Webb Space Telescope
I-James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) ehlelelwe ukuba ithathe indawo ye-Hubble, iphrojekthi enkulu elungele ukuqhubekisela phambili imingcele yokubuka isikhala. Iqanjwe ngoJames E. Webb, umphathi we-NASA owadlala indima ebalulekile emisebenzini ye-Apollo, i-JWST iwumzamo ohlanganyelwe yi-NASA, i-European Space Agency (ESA), kanye ne-Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Njengoba ihlelelwe ukwethulwa ngoDisemba 2021, i-JWST inesibuko esiyinhloko esingamamitha angu-6.5, esikhulu kakhulu kune-Hubble's, okwenza sikwazi ukuqoqa ukukhanya okukhulu. Yenzelwe ukubuka ku-spectrum ye-infrared, ivumele ukuthi ibuke emafwini othuli lwe-cosmic futhi ithwebule izithombe ezivela endaweni yonke yakudala. Ososayensi balindele ukuthi i-JWST izosiza ekuvuleni izimfihlo mayelana nokwakheka kwezinkanyezi nemithala, ithuthukise ukuqonda kwethu izinhlelo zamaplanethi, futhi mhlawumbe ithole nezinkomba mayelana nemvelaphi yokuphila.
Umklamo omusha we-JWST uhlanganisa isivikelo selanga esilingana nenkundla yethenisi ukuvikela izinsimbi zayo emisebeni yelanga, ukuqinisekisa amazinga okushisa afanele okusebenza. Ithelesikopu izobekwa endaweni yesibili yeLagrange (L2), cishe amakhilomitha ayizigidi ezingu-1.5 ukusuka eMhlabeni, okuvumela ukuthi igcine umbono ozinzile nocacile wendawo yonke.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory
Nakuba iHubble ibona ukukhanya okubonakalayo ngokuyinhloko, iChandra X-ray Observatory igxile kuma-X-ray, inikeza umbono ohlukile ngendawo yonke. I-Chandra, eyasungulwa ngo-1999, isebenza endaweni ejikelezayo e-elliptical kakhulu, ifinyelela amabanga afinyelela kumakhilomitha angu-139,000 ukusuka eMhlabeni. Le ndawo yokubuka ivumela ukuthi igweme ukuphazamiseka komkhathi womhlaba obamba ama-X-ray.
Iqanjwe ngomklomelo weNobel uSubrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, ukwakheka kwe-angle ephezulu kaChandra kwenza ukuthi ikwazi ukubamba ukukhishwa kwe-X-ray okuvela ezindaweni ezishisayo zendawo yonke, njengezinsalela zezinkanyezi eziqhumile, amaqoqo emithala, nezinto ezizungeza imigodi emnyama. Ukutholwa kwayo kube yinto ebalulekile ekuqondeni izinqubo zamandla aphezulu ezakha indawo yonke.
Isibonelo, uChandra unikeze ukuqonda ngesimo sezinto ezimnyama ngokutadisha ukungqubuzana phakathi kwamaqoqo emithala futhi wasiza ekuxazululeni imfihlakalo yezinto ezilahlekile endaweni yonke. Lesi sikhungo sokubuka siyaqhubeka nokuhambisana nezinye izibonakude, sidweba isithombe esibanzi sezinto ezisebenza ngamandla endaweni yonke yethu.
The Spitzer Space Telescope
I-Spitzer Space Telescope, eyasungulwa ngo-2003, igxile ekubukeni kwe-infrared, ivumela ukuthi ibone ngale kwe-spectrum ebonakalayo efihliwe uthuli lwe-cosmic. Iqanjwe ngoLyman Spitzer, ummeli ohamba phambili wama-telescope asemkhathini, i-Spitzer inikeze ukuqonda okucacile kwezindawo ezipholile nezinothuli kakhulu zasemkhathini.
Amandla ayo e-infrared avumela izazi zezinkanyezi ukuthi zifunde izenzakalo ezifana nokwakheka kwezinkanyezi, ukwakheka kwemithala, kanye nomkhathi wama-exoplanets. I-Spitzer yaba nendima ebalulekile ekutholeni uhlelo lwe-TRAPPIST-1, inkanyezi eseduze ephethe ama-exoplanets ayisikhombisa ngobukhulu boMhlaba, amathathu awo asendaweni okuhlalwa kuyo.
Nakuba iSpitzer yayeka ukusebenza ngo-2020 ngemuva kokuphelelwa yi-coolant edingekayo kumathuluzi ayo abucayi kakhulu, iminikelo yayo ihlala ikhona kungobo yomlando enkulu yedatha ebalulekile.
The Kepler Space Telescope
Izinikele ekutholeni amaplanethi afana noMhlaba, i-Kepler Space Telescope, eyasungulwa ngo-2009, ibe yinto eshintsha kakhulu emkhakheni wokutholwa kwezinkanyezi ezivela kwamanye amazwe. Isebenzisa indlela yokuhamba, i-Kepler yaqapha ukukhanya kwezinkanyezi ezingaphezu kuka-150,000, ithola ukucwila okuncane okubangelwa amaplanethi adlula phambi kwazo.
Izinto ezitholwe nguKepler bezilokhu zishintsha kakhulu. Ziqinisekisile amaplanethi angaphezu kuka-2,600, zandisa kakhulu ulwazi lwethu ngokuhlukahluka kwezinhlelo zamaplanethi kanye nokusabalala kwazo. UKepler ukhombisile ukuthi amaplanethi angangomhlaba avamile ezindaweni ezihlalwa yizinkanyezi zawo, okuphakamisa ukuthi indawo yonke ingase igcwale imihlaba ehlalwa.
Ngisho nangemva kokuba umsebenzi wayo oyinhloko uphele ngo-2013 ngenxa yezinkinga zemishini, iKepler yaqhubeka nokusebenza emsebenzini we-K2, iqhubekisela phambili ukusesha kwethu amaplanethi angaphandle kanye nokufunda ngezenzakalo ezahlukahlukene zasemkhathini kwaze kwaba yilapho iphela ngo-2018.
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
Yasungulwa ngo-2008, i-Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, eqanjwe ngesazi sesayensi u-Enrico Fermi, igxile ezenzakalweni ezinamandla kakhulu endaweni yonke. Ngokubuka imisebe ye-gamma, i-Fermi inikeza ukuqonda ngezimo ezifana ne-supernovae, izinkanyezi ze-neutron, kanye nokuqhuma kwemisebe ye-gamma.
Izinto eziphawulekayo ezitholwe zihlanganisa ukutholakala kwamabhamuza e-gamma-ray avela enkabeni ye-Milky Way, okucatshangwa ukuthi avela ezenzakalweni zamandla zesikhathi esidlule enkabeni ye-galaxy yethu. Izinto ezibonwe nguFermi bezibalulekile ekutadisheni imisebe ye-cosmic enamandla aphezulu kanye nokuthuthukisa ukuqonda kwethu ngezinto ezimnyama.
Conclusion
Ama-telescope asemkhathini ngokungangabazeki ashintshe ukuqonda kwethu indawo yonke. Kusukela ezithombeni zikaHubble ezimangalisayo kuya ekutholakaleni kukaKepler e-exoplanet kanye neminikelo elindelwe yi-JWST, la mathuluzi andise ulwazi lwethu futhi avule izindlela ezintsha zokuhlola. Njengoba ubuchwepheshe buthuthuka, ama-telescope asemkhathini esikhathi esizayo azoqhubeka nokwembula izimfihlo zendawo yonke, ephefumulela isintu ukuba sifinyelele ezinkanyezini futhi siphendule imibuzo engaphelelwa yisikhathi mayelana nemvelaphi yethu nendawo yethu endaweni yonke.
