Planetario Digital José Castro Mendivil | |
![]() The planetarium within the complex | |
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Established | 23 April 1960 |
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Location | Morro Solar |
Type | Planetarium |
Founder | Peruvian Astronomy Association |
Curator | Javier Ramírez [1] |
Website |
www |
José Castro Mendivil Digital Planetarium (Spanish: Planetario Digital José Castro Mendivil), also known simply as the Morro Solar Planetarium (Spanish: Planetario del Morro Solar), is a planetarium and site museum dedicated to astronomy in the Morro Solar of Chorrillos District, Lima, Peru. It is named after the engineer who designed it. [2]
It is administered by the Peruvian Astronomy Association (Spanish: Asociación Peruana de Astronomía, APA), founded on August 15, 1946, [3] and then headed by Peruvian astronomer Víctor Estremadoyro Robles . [2] Besides its 360° theatre, it also features remnants of the Battle of San Juan during the War of the Pacific. [4]
The first stone was placed at 1 p.m. by Peruvian astronomer and head of the Peruvian Astronomy Association Víctor Estremadoyro Robles , during a ceremony that took place on February 19, 1954, three years after the Peruvian government granted the terrain for the building's construction. [2] It was formally inaugurated on April 23, 1960. [2]
In 1968, construction of an observatory began, with the Astronomical League of the United States donating a Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. The building's iron dome was designed by the industrial service of the Peruvian Navy, with the entire complex having a cost of US$62,800. [2]
In 2013, a digital projector was added to the planetarium. [2] [5]
In 2018, the APA donated three bronze plaques to replace the ones stolen at the nearby Monument to the Unknown Soldier. [6]