Indebakure nini cyane ku isi iratangira kubakwa, izareba kugeza he?

Umwe mu mishinga minini cyane ya siyanse mu kinyejana cya 21 uratangira kubakwa mu byiciro kuwa mbere.

Square Kilometre Array (SKA) izaba indebakure (telescope) y’imvumba za radio nini cyane ku isi ubwo izaba yuzuye mu 2028.

Uyu mushinga uzakorerwa muri Africa y’Epfo no muri Australia, ukagira icyicaro gikuru mu Bwongereza, uzasubiza ibibazo bikuru byibazwa ku mategeko y’ubugenge n’ubutabire mu kumva imiterere y’isanzure n’umwanya wacu muri ryo, ubuhanga buzwi astrophysics. 

Iyo ndebakure izapima idahusha ingingo z’umuhanga Albert Einstein, ndetse inashakishe ibindi ku buzima bushobora kuba buri kure cyane y’isi. 

Intumwa zo mu bihugu umunani ziyoboye uyu mushinga ziritabira ibirori byo kuwutangiza mu cyaro ahitwa Murchison mu burengerazuba bwa Australia hamwe n’i Karoo mu ntara ya Northern Cape muri Africa y’Epfo. 

Ibirori nibirangira, ibimashini bya tingatinga birahita bitangira akazi. 

Prof Phil Diamond, umukuru wa Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO) yabwiye BBC ati: “Iki nicyo gihe bibaye byo.

“Ni urugendo rumaze imyaka 30. Imyaka 10 ya mbere yari iyo gukora inyigo n’ibitekerezo. Imyaka 10 ya kabiri yari iyo gutunganya ikoranabuhanga. Naho imyaka 10 ishize yari iyo gukora imbata (design), kubona ahantu izajya, gutuma za leta zemera amasezerano na SKAO no gutanga imari yo gutangira”. 

Inyubako ya mbere y’iyo ndebakure izaba irimo za antennes parabolique ( cyangwa dishes) hafi 200, hamwe n’iminara izwi nka dipole antennas 131,000 ijya gusa n’ibiti bya Noheli.

Intego ni ukubaka iri koranabuhanga ahantu hangana na kilometero kare ibihumbi amagana.

Ibi bizatuma SKA igira ubushobozi buhambaye bwo gukusanya ibyo mu isanzure. 

‘System’ yayo izakorera ku murongo uri hagati ya megahertz 50 kugeza kuri 25 gigahertz. Mu burebure bw’imvumba, ibyo ni ukuvuga kuri za santimetero kugera kuri za metero. 

Ibyo bizashoboza iriya ndebakure gufata n’imvumba (waves) z’akajwi kose gato gakomye mu isanzure kugera kuri 'light years' miliyari nyinshi uvuye ku isi, aho harimo zimwe muri ‘signals’ za mbere ziva mu myaka miliyoni amagana nyuma ya Big Bang.

Light year' imwe ireshya na kilometero tiriyari icyenda. 

Kimwe mu bikomeye SKA igamije ni ugushakisha amateka yose y’imyuka ya hydrogen, ikinyabutabire kiganje kurusha ibindi mu isanzure. 

Iyi mboneshakure igomba kubasha kubona hydrogen na mbere y’uko ibicu byayo binini bishwanyuka kikavamo inyenyeri za mbere.

Dr Shari Breen, ushinzwe ibikorwa bya siyanse kuri iyi ndebakure, yavuze ko SKA izatanga umusanzu munini mu duce dutandukanye tw’ubumenyi bwiga ikirere n’isanzure, astronomy.

Ati: “Kimwe cyaba uku “kwihuta kw’imirasire isandaye’ kwamaze kuboneka. Ibi bintu, bitugezaho mu bice by’isegonda ibingana n’ingufu z’izuba ryacu mu mwaka umwe. Ariko nta gitekerezo dufite cy’ibyo ari byo. Ibyo bishoboka bite? Twizeye ko SKA izabona igisubizo.”

Iyi ndebakure irimo kubwaka ahantu hari hasanzwe hakorerwa ibikorwa bya ‘radio astronomy’ ariko ku rugero ruto.

Kwagura aha hantu, byasabye amasezerano anyuranye y’ubutaka n’abahinzi b’i Karoo, hamwe n’abasangwabutaka bazwi nka Wajarri Yamaji b’i Murchison.

Aba Wajarri bateguye ibirori byo kuwa mbere mu gutangiza kubaka indebakure SKA.

Amasezerano atandukanye yose hamwe kugeza ubu ari hafi ya miliyoni €500 z'ama-euro – ku ngengo y’imari yose hamwe yo kubaka ya miliyari €2. 

Icyiciro cya mbere byitezwe ko gitangira gutanga umusaruro mu 2024, naho kugeza mu 2028 SKA izaba ifatira ‘signals’ ku buso bungana na metero kare 500,000, ariko uko biteye ni uko izakomeza kwaguka ikaba yagera ku byifuzwa ko ingana na metero kare miliyoni imwe, cyangwa se kilometero kare imwe.

Inzira imwe ngo ibi bishoboke ni uko ibindi bihugu byakwinjira muri uriya mushinga bigatanga imari ikenewe.

Ibiri muri uyu mushinga kugeza ubu ni: South Africa, Australia, UK, China, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal na Switzerland. Ibi bihugu byasinye amasezerano ashyiraho SKAO. 

France, Spain, na Germany vuba aha, nabyo byatangiye inzira yo kwinjiramo. 

Naho Canada, India, Sweden, South Korea na Japan byatangaje ubushake bwabyo bwo kwinjira muri iryo huriro igihe kimwe.

Prof Diamond ati: “Ndetse kandi turi kuvugana n’ibindi bihugu, tureba niba byagira ubushake bwo kuza muri uyu mushinga w’indebakure.”