241.

Mars at aphelion Mars passes the furthest point along its orbit from the Sun. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 at 18:23 EDT (5,155 days ago) in Cancer

242.

Saturn at opposition Saturn lies in the opposite direction to the Sun in the sky, making it slightly closer, brighter and larger than at other times. It is also optimally positioned to be observable for much of the night. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 at 20:29 EDT (5,164 days ago) in Virgo

243.

Uranus at solar conjunction Uranus is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 at 02:40 EDT (5,168 days ago) in Pisces

244.

Mars ends retrograde motion Mars returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 at 12:08 EDT (5,175 days ago) in Cancer

245.

Jupiter at apogee Jupiter reaches its furthest point from the Earth, as it passes around the far side of the Sun. Sun, 28 Feb 2010 at 08:55 EDT (5,185 days ago) in Aquarius

246.

Jupiter at solar conjunction Jupiter is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next. Sun, 28 Feb 2010 at 05:33 EDT (5,185 days ago) in Aquarius

247.

Neptune at solar conjunction Neptune is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next. Sun, 14 Feb 2010 at 18:10 EDT (5,199 days ago) in Capricornus

248.

Mars at opposition Mars lies in the opposite direction to the Sun in the sky, making it closer, brighter and larger than at other times. It is also optimally positioned to be observable for much of the night. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 at 14:37 EDT (5,215 days ago) in Cancer

249.

Mars at perigee Mars reaches its closest point to the Earth – marking the best time to observe it in 1970. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 at 13:55 EDT (5,217 days ago) in Cancer

250.

Saturn enters retrograde motion Saturn reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Wed, 13 Jan 2010 at 10:29 EDT (5,231 days ago) in Virgo

251.

Mars enters retrograde motion Mars reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Sun, 20 Dec 2009 at 08:25 EDT (5,255 days ago) in Leo

252.

Uranus ends retrograde motion Uranus returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 at 16:36 EDT (5,274 days ago) in Aquarius

253.

Neptune ends retrograde motion Neptune returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 at 14:31 EDT (5,301 days ago) in Capricornus

254.

Jupiter ends retrograde motion Jupiter returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 at 00:31 EDT (5,323 days ago) in Capricornus

255.

Saturn at solar conjunction Saturn is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 at 14:12 EDT (5,349 days ago) in Virgo

256.

Uranus at opposition Uranus lies in the opposite direction to the Sun in the sky, making it optimally positioned to be observable for much of the night. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 at 05:33 EDT (5,349 days ago) in Pisces

257.

Saturn ring plane crossing Saturn's seasons are changing, making its rings appear edge-on from the Earth. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 at 07:40 EDT (5,362 days ago) in Virgo

258.

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, 17 Aug 2009 at 16:46 EDT (5,380 days ago) in Capricornus

259.

Jupiter at perigee Jupiter reaches its closest point to the Earth – marking the best time to observe it in 1970. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 at 23:13 EDT (5,383 days ago) in Capricornus

260.

Jupiter at opposition Jupiter lies in the opposite direction to the Sun in the sky, making it slightly closer, brighter and larger than at other times. It is also optimally positioned to be observable for much of the night. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 at 13:45 EDT (5,383 days ago) in Capricornus