Akatswiri Akale a Sayansi ya Zakuthambo

KUYAMBIRA kale kwambiri, anthu akhala akuchita chidwi akaona dzuwa, mwezi ndi nyenyezi. Chifukwa chophunzira bwino mmene zinthu zimenezi zimayendera, anthu amatha kuwerengetsera masiku, miyezi komanso zaka.

Akatswiri achiarabu ndi ena mwa anthu amene anayambitsa sayansi ya zakuthambo. Sayansiyi inapita patsogolo kwambiri ku Middle East m’zaka za m’ma 800, ndipo akatswiri a zakuthambo olankhula Chiarabu a m’nthawi imeneyo ankaonedwa kuti ndi akatakwe pa nkhani ya sayansi imeneyi. Zimene iwo anatulukira zinathandiza kwambiri kuti sayansi imeneyi ipite patsogolo. Tiyeni tione chifukwa chake zili choncho.

Akatswiri Oyambirira a Sayansi ya Zakuthambo

M’zaka za m’ma 600 ndi 700, Chisilamu chinayamba kufalikira kuchoka ku Arabia kupita kumadera a kumadzulo kwa dzikolo mpaka kukafika kumpoto kwa Africa ndiponso ku Spain. Chinafalikiranso kumadera a kum’mawa kwa Arabia mpaka kukafika ku Afghanistan. Anthu ambiri ophunzira a m’madera amenewa ankayendera mfundo za sayansi za akatswiri  a ku Perisiya ndi ku Girisi, omwenso anatengera nzeru za akatswiri a ku Babulo ndi Iguputo.

Kenako, m’zaka za m’ma 800, anthu anayamba kumasulira mabuku a sayansi m’Chiarabu. Limodzi mwa mabuku amene anamasulira ndi limene katswiri wina wa sayansi ya zakuthambo wa ku Girisi, dzina lake Ptolemy, analemba. * Olamulira a ufumu wa Abbasid, omwe ankalamulira kuyambira ku Afghanistan mpaka ku nyanja ya Atlantic, anapeza mabuku a Chisansikiriti ochokera ku India. Mabukuwa anali othandiza kwambiri pa masamu, sayansi ya zakuthambo komanso maphunziro ena okhudza sayansi.

Asilamu ankaona kuti sayansi ya zakuthambo ndi yofunika kwambiri. Chifukwa chiyani? Chifukwa chimodzi chinali chakuti inkawathandiza pa kulambira kwawo. Mwachitsanzo, Asilamu amakhulupirira kuti popemphera ayenera kuyang’ana ku Mecca ndipo akatswiri a sayansi ya zakuthambo ankatha kuloza mosavuta kumene kuli mzinda wa Mecca. Pofika m’zaka za m’ma 1200, Asilamu analemba ntchito akatswiri a sayansi ya zakuthambo, omwenso ankatchedwa muwaqqit, kuti azikhala m’mizikiti ina. Akatswiriwa ankathandiza anthu kuti azipemphera munjira yoyenera yogwirizana ndi Chisilamu. Akatswiriwa ankalemba zinthu zimene zinkawathandiza kudziwa masiku a miyambo komanso zochitika zosiyanasiyana za chipembedzo, monga nthawi yochitira Namazani. Komanso ankathandiza anthu opita ku Mecca kuti adziwe kutalika kwa ulendowo komanso njira yabwino yokafikira kumeneko.

Boma Linkawathandiza

Kumayambiriro kwa zaka za m’ma 800, katswiri aliyense ku Baghdad ankafunika kuphunzira sayansi ya zakuthambo. Wolamulira wina wachisilamu, dzina lake Caliph al-Ma’mūn, anakhazikitsa malo ophunzirira zinthu zakuthambo mumzinda wa Baghdad komanso ku Damasiko. Kumalo amenewa kunkakhala akatswiri a masamu ndi maphunziro ena ndipo ankafufuza bwinobwino mabuku a sayansi ya zakuthambo ochokera ku Perisiya, India ndi ku Girisi. Anamanganso malo oterewa m’mizinda yosiyanasiyana ku Middle East. *

Anthu ophunzira amene ankagwira ntchito m’malo amenewa anatulukira zinthu zothandiza kwambiri m’nthawi imeneyo. Mwachitsanzo, m’chaka cha 1031, katswiri wina dzina lake Abu Rayhan al-Bīrūnī, ananena kuti n’kutheka kuti mapulaneti amayenda mozungulira dzuwa mu mzera wangati dzira osati wozungulira ngati mpira.

Anayeza Kukula kwa Dziko

Kufalikira kwa Chisilamu kunachititsa kuti anthu ayambe kukonza mapu komanso kunalimbikitsa maulendo apanyanja. Akatswiri okonza mapu ankayesetsa kwambiri kukonza mapu olondola. Caliph al-Ma’mūn anatumiza kuchipululu cha Syria magulu awiri a akatswiri oyeza malo. Iye ankafuna kuti akatswiriwo akafufuze zinthu zina zimene zikanathandiza kuti mapu a dziko lonse amene iye ankapanga akhale olondola. Magulu awiriwa anatenga zipangizo zosiyanasiyana zoyezera ndipo atafika kuchipululuko anayamba kuyenda molowera mbali zosiyana. Gulu lina linkalowera kumpoto ndipo lina kum’mwera. Iwo anapeza kuti akamayenda, nyenyezi yomwe ankaiona kumpoto ija, yotchedwa North Star, inkasintha malo omwe inali. Zimene magulu awiriwa anapeza zinawathandiza kudziwa kutalika kwa ulendo umene munthu angayende kuzungulira kumpoto kapena kum’mwera kwa dziko lapansi. Iwo atawerengetsera anapeza kuti munthu angayende makilomita 37,369. Iwo anangolakwitsa pang’ono chifukwa munthu angafunike kuyenda makilomita 40,008.

 Malo oonera zinthu zakuthambo a ku Middle East ankakhala ndi zipangizo zapamwamba kwambiri zoyezera kayendedwe ka zinthu zakuthambo. Zina mwa zipangizozi zinali zazikulu kwambiri. Akatswiri opanga zipangizozi ankanena kuti zipangizo zazikulu chonchi zinkathandiza kuti munthu ayeze molondola kayendedwe ka zinthu zakuthambo.

Anathandiza Kwambiri pa Sayansi ya Zakuthambo

Akatswiri akale a zakuthambo anatulukira zinthu zambiri zochititsa chidwi. Mwachitsanzo, analemba mabuku ofotokoza magulu ndi mayina a nyenyezi, anapanga makalendala olondola, komanso ankatha kudziwa nthawi imene kadam’sana angachitike. Akatswiriwa ankasintha zimene alemba m’mabuku awo mogwirizana ndi zimene atulukira pa kayendedwe ka zinthu zakuthambo. Iwo ankatha kudziwa bwino pamene pali dzuwa, mwezi ndi mapulaneti asanu amene munthu angathe kuwaona popanda kugwiritsa ntchito zipangizo zoonera zakuthambo, pa nthawi iliyonse masana kapena usiku. Akatswiriwa ankathanso kudziwa bwino nthawi ndiponso kukonza kalendala yolondola pogwiritsa ntchito kayendedwe ka zinthu zakuthambo.

Zimene akatswiri a zakuthambo achiarabu anatulukira zinathandiza kwambiri kuti anthu amvetse kayendedwe ka mapulaneti, mosiyana kwambiri ndi zimene Ptolemy anafotokoza. Chomwe iwo sankadziwa n’chakuti dzuwa, osati dziko lapansi, ndi limene lili pakati pa mapulaneti. Komabe, iwo anafotokoza kwambiri kayendedwe ka nyenyezi, ndipo zimene iwo anapeza zakhala zikuthandiza kwambiri akatswiri a sayansi ya zakuthambo padziko lonse.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Mawu Otsindika patsamba 17]

Akatswiri a sayansi ya zakuthambo ankakhala ndi mabuku omwe ankalembamo kayendedwe ka mapulaneti. Mabukuwa ankawasunga m’mayiko osiyanasiyana a Chisilamu

 [Bokosi/Zithunzi patsamba 19]

“KOMPYUTA YA M’THUMBA”

Poyamba asayansi akafuna kuona zinthu zakuthambo ankagwiritsira ntchito chipangizo chotchedwa sextant. Kenako chipangizochi chinalowedwa m’malo ndi chipangizo china chotchedwa astrolabe. Anthu ena amanena kuti chipangizo chatsopanochi “chinali chothandiza kwambiri pofufuza mmene zinthu zam’mlengalenga zimayendera, kusanabwere telesikopu.” Asayansi akale a ku Middle East ankagwiritsa ntchito chipangizo chimenechi akafuna kudziwa nthawi komanso pamene pali zinthu zina zakuthambo.

Chipangizochi chinali ndi kachitsulo kamene anajambulapo chithunzi chosonyeza mlengalenga. M’mphepete mwa kachitsuloka munkakhala timizera ta manambala kapena nthawi. Chipangizochi akachiyang’anitsa m’mwamba ankatha kudziwa kuti nyenyezi ili pa mtunda wautali bwanji, poona kumene muvi wa pachipangizocho waloza. Manambala amene anali pachipangizochi anali ofanana ndi amene amakhala pa lula.

Chipangizochi chinali chofunika kwambiri chifukwa chinkathandiza ofufuzawo kuona nyenyezi zosiyanasiyana, kudziwa nthawi yotulukira komanso yolowera dzuwa tsiku lililonse. Chinkawathandizanso kudziwa kumene kuli mzinda wa Mecca, kuyeza malo, kudziwa kutalika kwa zinthu zosiyanasiyana komanso kudziwa mmene angayendere panyanja. Kunena zoona, chipangizochi chinali “kompyuta ya m’thumba” ya nthawi imeneyo.

[Zithunzi]

Chipangizo chotchedwa “astrolabe,” cha m’chaka cha m’ma 1200

Mbali imodzi ya chipangizo chotchedwa “astrolabe,” cha m’chaka cha m’ma 1300

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Astrolabe: Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY; astrolabe quadrant: © New York Public Library/Photo Researchers, Inc.

[Chithunzi patsamba 16]

Chithunzi cha m’zaka za m’ma 1500 chosonyeza akatswiri a zakuthambo a mu ufumu wa Ottoman akugwiritsa ntchito zipangizo zimene akatswiri achiarabu anapanga

[Chithunzi patsamba 18]

Chithunzi chosonyeza zinthu zakuthambo, cha m’ma 1285 C.E.

[Chithunzi patsamba 18]

Masamba ena a buku la Chiarabu lofotokoza za magulu a nyenyezi. Bukuli linalembedwa ndi ‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Sufi cha m’ma 965 C.E.

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 17]

Pages 16 and 17: Art Resource, NY

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 18]

Manuscript: By permission of the British Library; globe: © The Bridgeman Art Library