161.

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 (4,371 days ago) in Taurus

162.

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 (4,373 days ago) in Aries

163.

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 (4,401 days ago) in Virgo

164.

Mars ends retrograde motion Mars returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Fri, 13 Apr 2012 at 23:52 EDT (4,403 days ago) in Leo

165.

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 (4,423 days ago) in Pisces

166.

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 (4,442 days ago) in Leo

167.

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 (4,444 days ago) in Leo

168.

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 (4,457 days ago) in Aquarius

169.

Mars at aphelion Mars passes the furthest point along its orbit from the Sun. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 at 17:52 EDT (4,461 days ago) in Leo

170.

Saturn enters retrograde motion Saturn reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 at 09:06 EDT (4,469 days ago) in Virgo

171.

Mars enters retrograde motion Mars reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 at 19:53 EDT (4,484 days ago) in Virgo

172.

Jupiter ends retrograde motion Jupiter returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Sun, 25 Dec 2011 at 17:22 EDT (4,513 days ago) in Pisces

173.

Uranus ends retrograde motion Uranus returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Sat, 10 Dec 2011 at 02:59 EDT (4,528 days ago) in Pisces

174.

Neptune ends retrograde motion Neptune returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 at 13:34 EDT (4,559 days ago) in Aquarius

175.

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 (4,571 days ago) in Aries

176.

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 (4,572 days ago) in Aries

177.

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, 13 Oct 2011 at 17:03 EDT (4,586 days ago) in Virgo

178.

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. Sun, 25 Sep 2011 at 20:06 EDT (4,604 days ago) in Pisces

179.

Jupiter enters retrograde motion Jupiter reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Tue, 30 Aug 2011 at 05:34 EDT (4,630 days ago) in Aries

180.

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, 22 Aug 2011 at 19:17 EDT (4,638 days ago) in Aquarius