1.

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, 04 Mar 2018 at 08:45 EDT (2,272 days ago) in Aquarius

2.

Jupiter enters retrograde motion Jupiter reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Thu, 08 Mar 2018 at 23:45 EDT (2,267 days ago) in Libra

3.

Saturn at aphelion Saturn passes the furthest point along its orbit from the Sun. Sat, 07 Apr 2018 at 14:56 EDT (2,238 days ago) in Sagittarius

4.

Saturn enters retrograde motion Saturn reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Tue, 17 Apr 2018 at 21:48 EDT (2,228 days ago) in Sagittarius

5.

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, 18 Apr 2018 at 09:51 EDT (2,227 days ago) in Pisces

6.

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. Tue, 08 May 2018 at 20:31 EDT (2,207 days ago) in Libra

7.

Jupiter at perigee Jupiter reaches its closest point to the Earth – marking the best time to observe it in 1970. Thu, 10 May 2018 at 07:53 EDT (2,205 days ago) in Libra

8.

Neptune enters retrograde motion Neptune reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Mon, 18 Jun 2018 at 19:45 EDT (2,166 days ago) in Aquarius

9.

Mars enters retrograde motion Mars reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Tue, 26 Jun 2018 at 17:01 EDT (2,158 days ago) in Capricornus

10.

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. Wed, 27 Jun 2018 at 09:20 EDT (2,157 days ago) in Sagittarius

11.

Jupiter ends retrograde motion Jupiter returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Tue, 10 Jul 2018 at 13:19 EDT (2,144 days ago) in Libra

12.

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, 27 Jul 2018 at 01:06 EDT (2,127 days ago) in Capricornus

13.

Mars at perigee Mars reaches its closest point to the Earth – marking the best time to observe it in 1970. Tue, 31 Jul 2018 at 03:44 EDT (2,123 days ago) in Capricornus

14.

Uranus enters retrograde motion Uranus reverses its direction of motion across the sky. Tue, 07 Aug 2018 at 11:57 EDT (2,116 days ago) in Aries

15.

Mars ends retrograde motion Mars returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Mon, 27 Aug 2018 at 10:01 EDT (2,096 days ago) in Sagittarius

16.

Saturn ends retrograde motion Saturn returns to its usual eastward motion after opposition. Thu, 06 Sep 2018 at 07:19 EDT (2,086 days ago) in Sagittarius

17.

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, 07 Sep 2018 at 14:18 EDT (2,085 days ago) in Aquarius

18.

Mars at perihelion Mars passes its orbit's closest point to the Sun. Sun, 16 Sep 2018 at 08:53 EDT (2,076 days ago) in Capricornus

19.

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. Tue, 23 Oct 2018 at 20:38 EDT (2,039 days ago) in Aries

20.

Jupiter at apogee Jupiter reaches its furthest point from the Earth, as it passes around the far side of the Sun. Fri, 23 Nov 2018 at 22:38 EDT (2,008 days ago) in Scorpius