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Illinois Bicentennial Star

As Illinois celebrates its 200th birthday, find the Illinois Bicentennial Star in the winter sky. At 200 light years away, the corner star Scheat in the Great Square of Pegasus shines prominently. Starlight that left Scheat in 1818 when Illinois became a state, after traveling for 200 years at 186,000 miles per second, is just now reaching our eyes.

Scheat, the corner star in the Great Square of Pegasus. Image courtesy of IBC.

Star charts, astronomy details, and a time-capturing activity are at https://www.nightwise.org/illinois-star.

Illinois banner with stars

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