After Hawaii was added as the 50th state on August 21, 1959, the National Geodetic Survey determined that a spot roughly 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, stood as the geographic center of the United States. That spot lies in a cow pasture. On August 21, 2007, a more convenient, tourist-friendly location was dedicated just behind the Belle Fourche Chamber and Visitor Information Center, which is where this issue of
Astronomy magazine happened to show up during Managing Editor Chris Raymond's visit on August 24, 2010.