About the Building

The idea of putting up a modern Planetarium in Manila was conceived in 1970’s by the former National Museum Director Godofredo Alcasid Sr. with the assistance of Mr. Maximo P. Sacro, Jr. of the Philippine Weather bureau (now PAGASA) and one of the founders of the Philippine Astronomical Society (PAS).

The project was presented to the former First Lady Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, then the Chairman of the National Parks and Development Committee (NPDC). As one of her priority projects, Mrs. Marcos requested the Department of Public Works and Highways to prepare the Planetarium in one month time and allocate the funds for the construction.

Construction of the building started in 1974 and took nine months to finish it. It was formally inaugurated on October 8, 1975. The Planetarium is located between the Reading Center and Chinese Garden at the Luneta Park.

Affirming its establishment was Presidential Decree No. 804-A that was issued on September 30, 1975. The Planetarium’s primary function is to disseminate astronomical information through planetarium shows, lectures, demonstrations, exhibits and actual celestial observations. The unique feature of the Planetarium is the true-to-life showing of astronomical bodies that captures the interest and tickles the imagination of viewers. The Planetarium main apparatus, the GM-15 Goto Planetarium Projector was acquired through the Japanese Reparation Program in the Philippines.

Through the years, improvements have been made in the Planetarium building through the efforts of its former Director Gabriel Casal and presently Director Corazon S. Alvina.