7D-2 - On the Path of the Golden Ring Project

Abstract: The Path of the Golden Ring was an initiative of the Office for Astronomy Outreach of the International Astronomical Union in Colombia (IAU - OAO Colombia) joined with the National Outreach Coordinators - NOCs of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, and Brazil. For this project, the NOCs of the mentioned countries aimed to promote a campaign for the appropriation and dissemination of science related to the Annular Solar Eclipse visible in much of the Americas ocurred on October 14, 2023, including the countries that were part of this project. This was a great opportunity to involve people from different backgrounds and interests in astronomy. The funds provided by OAO - IAU were invested in the design, editing, and production of seven (7) high-definition and subtitled videos to explain the eclipse from each participating country in the project. Likewise, a book about the eclipse was edited and published with an ISBN number, available to anyone who wishes to consult it, completely free of charge. Additionally, two micro-courses were conducted, the first on generalities of the eclipse and the second on how to photograph and build suitable filters to record the eclipse. As part of the project and with the aim of conducting activities with a differential focus, we teamed up with NASA to distribute 30 tactile booklets to teach blind or visually impaired individuals how they could perceive the eclipse, its trajectory, and the hours of occurrence. In overall terms, the actions of this project directly impacted about 10000 people.