Earlier this year, in Cincuentenario Barrancabermeja in Colombia, Ronals Chinchilla Vélez celebrated World Day of the Sun by organising astronomy activities for his neighbours. With no budget, Ronals used UNAWE resources and a telescope to bring astronomy to his neighbourhood.
One day, Ronals thought of sharing a day of solar observation with the people of his neighborhood and talk about the size of the solar system at scale. “The president of the Community Action Board of the Cinquantenaire Quarter in Barrancabermeja wanted to help me, my great friend Juan Bautista Palacio Parra.”
“We did the assembly of the planets with a 3 meter Sun. There was no budget available, but I’ve had the materials from Universe in a Box for several years and they still help me share my love for astronomy.” The visitors of World Day of the Sun could learn about the relative sizes of the planets and the Sun, but also compare our star to other stars.
World Day of the Sun 2017, Colombia.
Using a dark camera tube, they could also observe the Sun and calculate its size. “People appreciated seeing the Solar System to scale and being able to observe the sky with a telescope. In fact, some of the attendees said that it was the first time they ever observed by telescope!”
Despite the enthusiasm of the visitors, Ronals wishes teachers in his city would have more love for science, and especially astronomy. “I would love to work in some sort of extension program for elementary teachers with the help of UNAWE. That would be great.”
Ronals was able to communicate topics of astronomy using materials from Universe in a Box, the Earth Ball and self made materials. You can make a Universe in a Box yourself by using the Universe in a Box DIY Guide.
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