Transcript PLEIADES - ISILIMELA - Communicating Astronomy With The Public

IZIKO PLANETARIUM
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
Pleiades – i-Silimela
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Roughly 440Light years from us
Contains more than 1000 stars
Known as isilimela in Xhosa &
Zulu
“ Selemela in
Sotho&Tswana
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Tshirimera
in Shona
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Kilimela
in Swahili
The month of June named after
the pleiades in the Xhosa calendar
Used to count manhood years
Indicate the beginning of the year
in Xhosa Calendar
Indicate agricultural cycle
Orion Constellation – ama-Kroza
• Represents three sacred
places
• The Gave
• The Starry Heaven
• The third Heaven where
the supreme God
(Qamata) dwells
CANOPUS - UCANZIBE
• HARBINGER OF WINTER
• THE MONTH OF MAY IS
NAMED AFTER THIS STAR
• CEREMONY OF MOANING
THE BOYHOOD
(UKUTSHITSHA)
SIRIUS – INGQAQHAWULI /
IQHAWE
ORION - AMAKROZA
• REPRESENTS:
• THE GRAVE
• STARRY HEAVENS
• THIRD HEAVEN WHERE
SUPREME GOD (QAMATA)
DWELS
CANOPUS - UCANZIBE
• HARBINGER OF WINTER
• MAY MONTH NAMED AFTER
IT
• MONTH FOR MOANING
BOYHOOD (UKUTSHITSHA)
A Shooting star – i-Nkwenkwezi
etshekayo
• Associated with
Badluck
• Believed to be an evil
spirit
• Today’s generation
associates it with
Goodluck [Western
belief]
COMET – UZATSHOBA /
INTSHOBOLOLO
Comet – u-Zatshoba/i-Ntshobololo
• Associated with the
death of a king
• Brings a deadly
livestock disease
• Predicts a natural
disaster
The full Moon- I-Nyanga
ethwasileyo
• When visible in the
night sky, the
following morning all
children are given the
de-worming medicine.
• Pumpkin seeds
• Aloe juice
Crescent Moon – i-Ceba le Nyanga
• Predictive of a windy
or a cold following
day
Venus – iKhwezi (the godess of Love & Beauty)
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iKhwezi lokusa [associated with diligence]
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iKhwezi lesibini [one of boys field games]
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U-Celizapholo [visible at the time of milking the
cows]
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Uma-Dingeni [the dating star]
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Distance
= 108.200.000 km
Year
= 224 days
Day
= 243 days
Speed
= 35.02km/sec
Diameter
= 12.100km
Temperature
= 480degrees C
Moons
= 0
Atmosphere = Carbon dioxide, Carbon
Monoxide, Hydrogen floride, water, Nitrogen,
Argon, Oxygen, Hdrogen sulfide, Sulfide, Sulfa
dioxide, Helium
VENUS (MORNING) – IKHWEZI
LOKUSA
-Diligence
-Travellers
-Chores
Venus at midday – iKhwezi lesibini
- Test of knowledge
Source: http://www.taas.org/taas/memberphotos/mfleenor/venusandmoon.jpg
Venus the evening star – uCelizapholo
-Asking for milk
-Time to milk cows
Venus the evening star – uMadingeni
-Dating star
Jupiter – i-Candabusuku/iMbalibusuku
• The Biggest planet in our Solar
system
• It is a liquid gas planet
• Its orbit is =[12 earth years].
• Distance from the Sun =
778.330.000Million km
• Diameter
=142.800km
• Day on Jupiter = 9.8
• Year on Jupiter = 11.86 days
• At Perihelion = 740.900.000
km
• At Aphelion = 815.700.000km
• Temperature = 153 degrees C.
Jupiter – iCandabusuku/iMbalibusuku
-Travellers
-Story telling
Moon
Cape Town
Jupiter
• iLanga
• iNyanga