241.

Asteroid 7 Iris at opposition Asteroid 7 Iris makes closest approach to the Earth. Fri, 16 Aug 2013 at 12:46 EDT (3,945 days ago) in Aquarius

242.

1 Ceres at solar conjunction 1 Ceres is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next. Sat, 17 Aug 2013 at 05:07 EDT (3,944 days ago) in Leo

243.

κ-Cygnid meteor shower 2013 The κ-Cygnid meteor shower reaches its peak. Sat, 17 Aug 2013 (3,944 days ago) in Draco

244.

Supernova SN2013ex discovered A new supernova has been discovered in NGC 1954. Sun, 18 Aug 2013 (3,942 days ago)

245.

The Moon at perigee The Moon makes its monthly closest approach to the Earth, making it appear fractionally larger than at other times of the month. Sun, 18 Aug 2013 at 21:25 EDT (3,943 days ago) in Sagittarius

246.

The Moon at aphelion The Moon recedes to its orbit's furthest point from the Sun, which happens each month around the time of full moon. Mon, 19 Aug 2013 at 11:57 EDT (3,942 days ago) in Capricornus

247.

Full Moon The Moon reaches full phase and is visible for much of the night. Tue, 20 Aug 2013 at 21:44 EDT (3,941 days ago) in Aquarius

248.

Mercury at superior solar conjunction Mercury passes around the far side of the Sun. Sat, 24 Aug 2013 at 17:04 EDT (3,937 days ago) in Leo

249.

August Naked Astronomy podcast released This autumn, the Gaia spacecraft will be launched on a mission to Sat, 24 Aug 2013 (3,936 days ago)

250.

Neptune at opposition Neptune lies in the opposite direction to the Sun in the sky, making it optimally positioned to be observable for much of the night. Mon, 26 Aug 2013 at 21:34 EDT (3,935 days ago) in Aquarius

251.

Moon at Last Quarter The Moon reaches last quarter phase – rising in the east at around midnight and appearing high in the sky by sunrise. Wed, 28 Aug 2013 at 05:35 EDT (3,933 days ago) in Taurus

252.

The Moon at apogee The Moon recedes to its orbit's furthest point from the Earth, making it appear fractionally smaller than at other times of the month. Fri, 30 Aug 2013 at 19:45 EDT (3,931 days ago) in Gemini

253.

Supernova SN2013ff discovered A new supernova has been discovered in NGC 2748. Fri, 30 Aug 2013 (3,930 days ago)

254.

Close approach of the Moon and Jupiter The Moon and Jupiter pass close to each other. Sat, 31 Aug 2013 at 11:25 EDT (3,930 days ago) in Gemini

255.

Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter The Moon and Jupiter share the same right ascension, at a separation of 4°29'. Sat, 31 Aug 2013 at 12:43 EDT (3,930 days ago) in Gemini

256.

Aurigid meteor shower 2013 The Aurigid meteor shower reaches its peak. Sat, 31 Aug 2013 (3,929 days ago) in Auriga

257.

Conjunction of the Moon and Mars The Moon and Mars share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°13'. Mon, 02 Sep 2013 at 05:39 EDT (3,928 days ago) in Cancer

258.

New Moon The Moon disappears into the Sun's glare for a few days. Thu, 05 Sep 2013 at 07:37 EDT (3,925 days ago) in Sextans

259.

The Moon at perihelion The Moon passes its orbit's closest point to the Sun, which happens each month around the time of new moon. Sat, 07 Sep 2013 at 11:18 EDT (3,923 days ago) in Virgo

260.

Lunar occultation of Spica The Moon will pass in front of Spica (Alpha Virginis), creating a lunar occultation visible from countries and territories including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen and Ethiopia amongst others. Sun, 08 Sep 2013 at 10:55 EDT (3,922 days ago) in Virgo