IZIKO PLANETARIUM

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

Pleiades – i-Silimela

• Roughly 440Light years from us• Contains more than 1000 stars• Known as isilimela in Xhosa &

Zulu• “ Selemela in

Sotho&Tswana

“ Tshirimera in Shona“ 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)

• iKhwezi lokusa [associated with diligence]

• iKhwezi lesibini [one of boys field games]

• U-Celizapholo [visible at the time of milking the cows]

• Uma-Dingeni [the dating star]

• 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

Source: http://www.taas.org/taas/memberphotos/mfleenor/venusandmoon.jpg

Venus at midday – iKhwezi lesibini

- Test of knowledge

Venus the evening star – uCelizapholo

-Asking for milk-Time to milk cows

Venus the evening star – uMadingeni

-Dating star

Jupiter – i-Candabusuku/i-Mbalibusuku

• 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

Moon

Cape Town

Jupiter – iCandabusuku/iMbalibusuku

-Travellers-Story telling

• iLanga

• iNyanga