OBSERVATORIO Y PLANETARIO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA PLATA - OBSERVATOIRE ET PLANÉTARIUM DE L'UNIVERSITÉ NATIONALE DE LA PLATA

Before founding the city of La Plata, Dardo Rocha (1838-1921), governor of the province of Buenos Aires, had the desire to have a complete and accurate mapping of the region carried out. This work was logically attributed to an institution that had to be locally based. The additional boost to the creation of an observatory came on December 6, 1882, when the planet Venus passed in front of the Sun, a very rare and spectacular phenomenon that generated a real craze among astronomers around the world. Thus, Argentine specialists collaborated with their French counterparts to find the best place to observe the phenomenon... The city of Bragado, west of Buenos Aires, was chosen in this way and once this astronomical event was over, it was decided to preserve the observation instruments brought for the occasion on site and to integrate them into the nascent observatory. The rapprochement with the University of La Plata took place in 1905 when the latter adopted its training policy towards scientific and even experimental fields and sectors... Subsequently, the need to train astronomers led to the creation, in 1935, of the School of Astronomical Sciences - the first in Latin America! - which included the study of meteorology, seismology and geomagnetism. The planetarium of La Plata is much more recent since it dates back to 2013! It was conceived as a centre for the popularization of science, but also as a place for meetings and interactions between several fields of science. Its 17 m diameter dome, accessible to people with reduced mobility, can accommodate up to 175 people, and offers the latest in digital projections using the 4K standard (high definition images particularly spectacular to view). Observatory and planetarium are located in a wooded park not far from the heart of the city. Visits allow you to discover the entire site, and even to make observations in the evening! However, keep in mind that light pollution on site is sensitive, and that these observations generally concern the brightest celestial objects, such as the Moon and planets.