Guadalajara’s new state-of-the-art planetarium should be up and running by October at the latest, Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval announced this week during a visit to the site, located a stone’s throw from La Normal Glorieta.
The centerpiece of the planetarium will be its dome, upon which star field and galaxy simulations will be projected.
The 20,000-square-meter facility will also include an open-air amphitheater, interactive exhibit spaces and plenty of parking.
Primarily to be used as an educational space, the planetarium will also be another metro-area attraction for families and visitors of all ages, the governor said.
The construction budget is running at around 88 million pesos, while the cost of equipping the facility has yet to be disclosed. Only top quality materials will be utilized in the dome, Sandoval insisted.
The planetarium is located on the former premises of the now-defunct Federation de Estudiantes de Guadalajara (FEG) of the University of Guadalajara. The student union headquarters was demolished after the bodies of four high school students and a parent were discovered on the grounds in 2012.
FEG President David Castorena was implicated in their murders and has remained on the lam ever since.
Neighbors were at first opposed to the planetarium, saying the zone was primarily residential but Sandoval said this week that they have abandoned their protests and have warmed to the government’s plans.