JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 09, 2020 SIGNIFICANCE, PRACTICALITY, AUTHENTICITY&OPULENCEOF OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY LEADING TO VARIOUS EXTRAORDINARY APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING G V Naveen Prakash1, S A Mohan Krishna2, K B Vinay3, Khalid Imran4, K S Ravi5, N S Linge Gowda6, B S Nithyananda7, R Shivashankar8 Department of Mechanical Engineering 1,2,3,4,5,7,8 VVCE, Mysuru, Karnataka, India Department of Chemistry, 6, VVCE, Mysuru, Karnataka, India Email address: [email protected] Abstract: Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards. This fascinating oldest science not only helps the people to look upwards, but has fabulous engineering applications. This paper will benefit people to know about the importance, opulence of astronomy leading to many engineering applications. Keywords: Astronomy, fascinating, engineering, importance, applications. 1. Introduction ‗Astronomy‘ is an incredible field of study for many reasons, not least of which is its accessibility to anyone who wanders out on a clear night and gazes skywards to the stars. The sky is the laboratory, observation is the experiment, and eyes are the equipment. A significant amount of basic astronomical science can be accomplished without any observing device other than the human eye. ‗Astronomy‘ is the study and perceptive of the universe beyond the Earth. Man has evolved on a planet from which he could witness celestial phenomena like the motions of the Sun, Moon, Planets and Stars the dramatic emergence of Comets and meteors and the sporadic eclipsing of the Sun and the Moon. Sky is always the limit. ‗Sky Watching‘ is one of the most fascinating, enjoying and thrilling experience. Winter sky is the best time to watch the night sky, as 2009 and 2010 is very congenial for sky watching. If we witness the sky on a dark, clear night we can see billions of stars. They are not alike; they are of different colours, and of course they differ in brightness. Our Sun is a normal star; indeed, astronomers relegate it to the status of a yellow dwarf. It appears so much more splendid than the rest only because it is much closer to us. Its distance is only 150,000,000,000 kilometers, or one astronomical unit; all the other stars are extremely remote that their distances are measured in millions of millions of miles. The Sun is the center of the Solar System, and is attended by nine planets, of which the Earth comes third on order of distance. According to prominent astronomers, there are about 400 billion stars in Milky Way Galaxy. The best way to enjoy the beauty of the star-studded night sky is to use our eyes only, without being encumbered with optical aids like binoculars and telescopes. In fact, the wide angle of vision that observation with unaided eye allows is not available if we look through a pair of binoculars or a telescope. They do allow us to see a magnified or brighter image, but at the same time drastically reduce the field of view. According to International Astronomical Union, Eighty-eight constellations are properly recognized and legitimately named. The stars are secluded that their individual or ―proper‖ motions are too slight to be noticed with the naked eye even over periods of many lifetimes, so that to all intent and purposes the constellation patterns do not change. The sky on a clear day is an expanse of monotonous azure, may be with a few whiffs of cloud. But after sundown things change dramatically. As daylight fades in to dusk and eventually into night, the pulchritude of the star-studded sky reveals itself in its full splendor. If is a moonless night and sky is comprehensible, we will be able to appreciate this grandeur [1 – 7]. 2. Practicality and Opulence Particularly for children to spread the awareness of astronomy and sky watching, people must try to set up a ‗Planetarium‘ or ‗Observatory‘. The best time for sky watching is in the months of December, January and February. Sky conditions are usually defined by two characteristics, seeing, or the steadiness of the air, and 2711 JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 09, 2020 transparency, light scattering due to the amount of water vapor and particulate material in the air. When we observe the Moon and the planets, and they appear as though water is running over them, probably have bad ―sky watching‖ because we are observing through turbulent air. In conditions of good ―sky watching‖, the stars appear steady without twinkling, when we look at them with unassisted eyes or without a telescope. Ideal ―transparency‖ is when the sky is inky black and the atmosphere is free from pollution. Selecting an observing site is also an important aspect. Travel to the best site that is reasonably accessible. It should be away from city lights, and upwind from any source of air pollution. Always choose as high an elevation as possible; this will get us above some of the lights and pollution and will definitely ensure that we aren‘t in any ground fog. Try to accomplish preferably dark region, unobstructed view of the horizon, especially the Southern horizon if we are in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. Observing through a window is not recommended because the window glass will distort images considerably. An open window can be even worse, because indoor air will escape out of the window, causing turbulence or instability which also affects images. Kindly remember, Sky Watching or Astronomy is an outdoor activity. The best conditions will have still air, and obviously, a clear view of the sky. It is not necessary that the sky be cloud-free. Often broken cloud conditions provide excellent sky watching. Do not view immediately after sunset. After the sun sets completely, the Earth is still cooling, causing air turbulence. As the night goes on, not only will seeing improve, but air pollution and ground lights will often diminish. Some of the best observing time is often in the early morning hours. Sky Watching is an excellent serious leisure pursuit. None can rival the marvel of night sky. In the months of January, February and March one can comfortably witness the gas giants Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Presently Mercury is perceptible very low in the east before sunrise or low in the west after sunset. Venus is the most dazzling object perceptible in the western evening sky. Likewise, Mars in the morning sky, Jupiter in the eastern sky and Saturn in evening sky. In March 2010, five planets are clearly visible in the night sky. Other than this, the dazzling stars namely Sirius, Canopus, Capella, Arcturus, Rigel, Betelgeuse, Regulus, Aldeberan and the most famous Orion Nebula are clearly discernable. Some periodic comets are also clearly perceptible to the unaided eye. When we project telescope directly to these objects, one can contentedly scan the features and other marvels. If you are keen to see through a telescope, do not directly project at the Sun. Permanent eye damage will result. Use a proper solar filter firmly mounted on the front of the telescope for viewing the Sun. When observing the Sun, place a dust cap over finderscope or remove it to protect from accidental exposure. Many occultations, meteor showers, satellite flyby, eclipses are possible next year. Astronomy finds exorbitant application in engineering, technology, aerospace engineering, technology transfer, energy sector, medicine, chemistry, cryogenics and so on. 3. Applications in Engineering (I) Aerospace Engineering Engineering on an astronomical scale, or astronomical engineering or engineering involving operations with whole astronomical objects (planets, stars, etc.), is a known theme in science fiction, as well as a matter of recent scientific research and exploratory engineering.Both aerospace engineer and astronomer are among the types of aerospace careers offered by organizations such as NASA and private sector space exploration ventures. It is the nature of their work, and their education, that distinguishes these two occupations. The benefits of choosing an aerospace engineering degree over an astronomy degree include working in more practical application capacities, having more job opportunities at the undergraduate level and seeing greater gains in the overall number of jobs. Astronomy is the natural science discipline that focuses on studying space and celestial bodies such as stars, planets, meteors and galaxies. Astronomers incorporate the theories of physics, chemistry and math into their work in basic or applied research. Using equipment such as radio and optical telescopes on Earth and the Hubble Telescope in space, they learn more about space. An astronomer‘s work can be for the purpose of expanding general scientific knowledge or for the purpose of using that knowledge to develop new technology in areas such as medicine, communications, electronics and energy storage, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Astrophysics, a term often used interchangeably with astronomy, refers to the study of the matter and energy of the universe.Aerospace engineering draws upon our scientific knowledge of space to design, develop, manufacture and test technology used in flight or in space. The specific branch of aerospace engineering that relates to astronomy is called aeronautical engineering. Aerospace engineers have a role more closely related to practical application of space science principles even compared to astronomers and astrophysicists focusing on applied research. They design and develop spacecraft including rockets and satellites as well as the technology used in spacecrafts‘ navigation, control, communications and instrumentation systems. 2712 JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 09, 2020 Both astronomers and aerospace engineers need a foundation in physical and life sciences such as physics and chemistry as well as mathematics coursework like calculus, differential equations, linear algebra and statistics.