221.

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 (5,388 days ago) in Capricornus

222.

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 (5,391 days ago) in Capricornus

223.

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 (5,391 days ago) in Capricornus

224.

Equinox on Saturn Saturn's seasons are changing, making its rings appear edge-on from the Earth. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 at 14:00 EDT (5,395 days ago) in Leo

225.

Uranus enters retrograde motion Uranus reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 at 03:34 EDT (5,435 days ago) in Pisces

226.

Jupiter enters retrograde motion Jupiter reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Mon, 15 Jun 2009 at 03:57 EDT (5,451 days ago) in Capricornus

227.

Neptune enters retrograde motion Neptune reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Thu, 28 May 2009 at 23:55 EDT (5,469 days ago) in Capricornus

228.

Saturn ends retrograde motion Saturn returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Sat, 16 May 2009 at 21:59 EDT (5,481 days ago) in Leo

229.

Mars at perihelion Mars passes its orbit's closest point to the Sun. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 at 05:49 EDT (5,506 days ago) in Pisces

230.

Uranus at aphelion Uranus passes the furthest point along its orbit from the Sun. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 at 13:56 EDT (5,525 days ago) in Pisces

231.

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. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 at 21:18 EDT (5,546 days ago) in Aquarius

232.

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, 08 Mar 2009 at 15:45 EDT (5,550 days ago) in Leo

233.

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. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 at 07:32 EDT (5,574 days ago) in Capricornus

234.

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. Sat, 24 Jan 2009 at 00:33 EDT (5,593 days ago) in Capricornus

235.

Jupiter at apogee Jupiter reaches its furthest point from the Earth, as it passes around the far side of the Sun. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 at 21:42 EDT (5,595 days ago) in Capricornus

236.

Saturn enters retrograde motion Saturn reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 at 13:08 EDT (5,617 days ago) in Leo

237.

Mars at solar conjunction Mars is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 at 16:34 EDT (5,643 days ago) in Ophiuchus

238.

Uranus ends retrograde motion Uranus returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Thu, 27 Nov 2008 at 11:54 EDT (5,651 days ago) in Aquarius

239.

Neptune ends retrograde motion Neptune returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Sun, 02 Nov 2008 at 02:40 EDT (5,676 days ago) in Capricornus

240.

Mars at apogee Mars reaches its furthest point from the Earth, as it passes around the far side of the Sun. Thu, 30 Oct 2008 at 23:42 EDT (5,679 days ago) in Libra