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THE STORY OF THE T.C. HOOPER PLANETARIUM
When visitors step inside the T.C. Hooper Planetarium at Roper Mountain Science Center, they are welcomed by a 360-degree dome filled with stars, planets, and immersive journeys across space. While the technology and presentations are dazzling, the story behind this facility is just as inspiring.
By the late 1980s, Roper Mountain was beginning to grow into Greenville’s home for hands-on science education. Director Darryl Harrison and other supporters of the science center knew that a planetarium would capture imaginations in ways few other facilities could. One of the strongest advocates was T.C. (Tecumseh) Hooper, a former Greenville County Schools board member who had already become a tireless champion of the young science center.
Hooper served as chair of the Roper Mountain Capital Campaign, leading fundraising efforts not only for the planetarium but also for many of the other landmark facilities on the mountain. His work inspired gifts from businesses, foundations, and individuals who believed in the vision of a place where students could experience science, history, and nature in transformative ways. To honor his years of leadership and dedication, the new planetarium was named in his honor when it opened in 1990.
The facility featured a tilted 50-foot dome and 170 seats, making it a centerpiece for both school field trips and community events. During the week, thousands of students explored the cosmos through programs tailored to their lessons, and on Friday evenings, families came together for the still-popular Friday Starry Nights. For many, these programs created their first personal connection to astronomy.
Over the years, the planetarium has evolved through significant technological upgrades. From early projection systems to the nation’s first installation of the Spitz 4K IQ system, the Hooper Planetarium has remained on the leading edge of immersive learning. Today, with high-resolution projection, surround sound, and interactive lobby exhibits, visitors can travel from the surface of Mars to the edge of the universe without leaving Greenville.
More than a dome, the T.C. Hooper Planetarium is a lasting tribute to a leader whose vision and persistence helped build Roper Mountain itself. His legacy continues each time students lean back in their seats, look up at the stars, and begin to dream.
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