Isenzakalo sokukhanya esiyinqaba nesingaqondakali esibhakabhakeni silotshwe kusukela ezikhathini zasendulo. Eziningi zalezi zihunyushwe ngokuthi amabika, izibonakaliso ezivela konkulunkulu, noma ngisho nezinto ezingaphezu kwemvelo njengezingelosi. Kodwa kunezigigaba ezixakile ezingachazeki. Esinye salezo zibonelo Isigameko saseVela.
Isigameko saseVela (ngezinye izikhathi esibizwa ngokuthi i-South Atlantic Flash) sasiwukukhanya okuphindwe kabili okungakaziwa okutholwe isathelayithi yase-United States iVela ngoSepthemba 22, 1979. Kuye kwacatshangwa ukuthi ukukhanya okuphindwe kabili kwakuyisici sokuqhuma kwenuzi. ; nokho, ukwaziswa okusanda kuguqulwa mayelana nalesi sigameko kuthi “cishe kwakungabangelwa ukuqhuma kwezikhali zenuzi, nakuba kungenakuphikwa ukuthi lolu phawu lwaluvela enuzini.”
Ukukhanya kwatholwa ngomhla ka-22 Septhemba 1979, ngo-00:53 GMT. Isathelayithi ibike isici esiphindwe kabili (ukukhanya okushesha kakhulu nokugqama kakhulu, kwase kuba okude nokungakhanyi kancane) kokuqhuma kwenyukliya komkhathi okungamakhilothoni amabili kuya kwamathathu, e-Indian Ocean phakathi. Bouvet Island (i-Norwegian dependency) kanye ne-Prince Edward Islands (i-South African dependency). Izindiza ze-US Airforce zandizela endaweni ngemuva nje kokutholwa kombani kodwa azitholanga zimpawu zokuqhunyiswa noma imisebe.
Ngo-1999 iphephandaba lesigele laseMelika lathi: "Kusenokungaqiniseki ngokuthi ukukhanya kwe-South Atlantic flash ngo-September 1979 okuqoshwe izinzwa ze-optical ku-US Vela satellite bekuyi-nuclear detonation futhi, uma kunjalo, ekabani." Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi ukukhanya okuphindwe kabili kwe-41 okutholwe amasathelayithi akwaVela kudalwe ukuhlolwa kwezikhali zenuzi.
Kukhona ukuqagela ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi ukuhlolwa bekuyisinyathelo esihlanganyelwe sakwa-Israel noma saseNingizimu Afrika esiqinisekiswe (nakuba singaqinisekiswanga) ngu-Commodore Dieter Gerhardt, inhloli yaseSoviet eyalahlwa yicala kanye nomkhuzi wesizinda samasosha asemanzini aseNingizimu Afrika e-Simon's Town ngaleso sikhathi.
Ezinye izincazelo zihlanganisa i-meteoroid eshaya isathelayithi; ukuguqulwa kwe-atmospheric; impendulo yekhamera ekukhanyeni kwemvelo; kanye nezimo zokukhanya ezingavamile ezibangelwa umswakama noma ama-aerosols emkhathini. Kodwa-ke, ososayensi abakaqiniseki kahle ukuthi isigameko saseVela senzeke kanjani futhi kungani.
