161.

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. Fri, 24 Aug 2012 at 08:23 EDT (4,272 days ago) in Aquarius

162.

Uranus enters retrograde motion Uranus reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Fri, 13 Jul 2012 at 05:34 EDT (4,314 days ago) in Cetus

163.

Saturn ends retrograde motion Saturn returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Mon, 25 Jun 2012 at 03:47 EDT (4,332 days ago) in Virgo

164.

Neptune enters retrograde motion Neptune reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Mon, 04 Jun 2012 at 14:58 EDT (4,353 days ago) in Aquarius

165.

Jupiter at apogee Jupiter reaches its furthest point from the Earth, as it passes around the far side of the Sun. Tue, 15 May 2012 at 16:29 EDT (4,373 days ago) in Taurus

166.

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, 13 May 2012 at 09:11 EDT (4,375 days ago) in Aries

167.

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, 15 Apr 2012 at 14:18 EDT (4,403 days ago) in Virgo

168.

Mars ends retrograde motion Mars returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Fri, 13 Apr 2012 at 23:52 EDT (4,405 days ago) in Leo

169.

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. Sat, 24 Mar 2012 at 14:11 EDT (4,425 days ago) in Pisces

170.

Mars at perigee Mars reaches its closest point to the Earth – marking the best time to observe it in 1970. Mon, 05 Mar 2012 at 11:55 EDT (4,444 days ago) in Leo

171.

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. Sat, 03 Mar 2012 at 15:04 EDT (4,446 days ago) in Leo

172.

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, 19 Feb 2012 at 15:32 EDT (4,459 days ago) in Aquarius

173.

Mars at aphelion Mars passes the furthest point along its orbit from the Sun. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 at 17:52 EDT (4,463 days ago) in Leo

174.

Saturn enters retrograde motion Saturn reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 at 09:06 EDT (4,471 days ago) in Virgo

175.

Mars enters retrograde motion Mars reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 at 19:53 EDT (4,486 days ago) in Virgo

176.

Jupiter ends retrograde motion Jupiter returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Sun, 25 Dec 2011 at 17:22 EDT (4,515 days ago) in Pisces

177.

Uranus ends retrograde motion Uranus returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Sat, 10 Dec 2011 at 02:59 EDT (4,530 days ago) in Pisces

178.

Neptune ends retrograde motion Neptune returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 at 13:34 EDT (4,561 days ago) in Aquarius

179.

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, 28 Oct 2011 at 21:34 EDT (4,573 days ago) in Aries

180.

Jupiter at perigee Jupiter reaches its closest point to the Earth – marking the best time to observe it in 1970. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 at 14:41 EDT (4,574 days ago) in Aries