Mercury makes its best evening appearances in late February and all of June. For morning watchers, the best time to catch the smallest planet is late July/early August and mid-November.
Venus slowly becomes visible in the evening sky about mid-February. Look for the brightest planet all spring and summer as it fades back toward the sun in mid-September. Venus quickly returns to the morning sky in November and December.
Mars is still too close to the sun to see until late April. Then, look low in the east in the morning sky. The red planet slowly gets higher in the morning sky. By the end of the year, Mars rises at about 10 p.m.
Jupiter is at opposition on January 9 and is above the horizon all night. By early May, the biggest planet sets about midnight. By the end of July, Jupiter is behind the sun and not to be seen. Look for the second-brightest planet in the morning sky at the end of August.
Saturn hangs on in the evening sky until mid-March and then slowly disappears behind the sun. The ring jewel returns to the morning sky by late April. By late July, it rises by 10 p.m., and by early October, it is at opposition, visible all night long.
January
- January 3: Earth at perihelion, closest point to the sun, 91.4 million miles; Supermoon, 7% bigger than average full moon
- January 5: Latest sunrise: 7:23 a.m. CST in Milwaukee
- January 6: Venus at superior conjunction—behind the sun—moving to evening sky
- January 9: Mars at superior conjunction—behind the sun—moving to morning sky; Jupiter at opposition, opposite the sun, visible all night
- January 19: 20th anniversary of New Horizons launch to Pluto; arrived July 2015
- January 28: 40th anniversary of tragic Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Artemis II Crew; credit: NASA
February
- February 5: Possible Launch of Artemis II—10-day, four-crew mission to orbit Moon
- February 11: 10th anniversary Gravity Waves discovery, 100 years after Einstein's prediction
- February 17: Chinese New Year—Year of the Horse; second new moon after winter solstice; annular solar eclipse—Antarctica, south Indian Ocean, not visible in Milwaukee
March
- March 3: Total Lunar Eclipse! 3:50 a.m. to 6:27 a.m.
- March 8: Venus and Saturn close in evening sky; “spring ahead!” Daylight Savings Time begins
- March 10: 20th anniversary Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars, still working
- March 14: Pi Day and Einstein's birthday
- March 20: Spring begins at 9:46 a.m. CDT
- March 25: Saturn at solar conjunction—behind sun—moving to morning sky; 30th anniversary of Comet Hyakutake closest approach to Earth, 9 million miles
First Space Tourist Aboard ISS in April 2001; credit: NASA
April
- April 11: 40th anniversary of Halley's Comet closest to Earth, next pass will be 2061
- April 12: 45th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch—Columbia
- April 19-21: Mercury, Mars, and Saturn close in morning sky
- April 28: 25th anniversary of first space tourist, Dennis Tito, trip to space station (ISS)
May
- May: NASA's Psyche spacecraft gets gravity assist at Mars to reach Psyche asteroid in 2029
- May 5: 65th anniversary of first American in space—Alan Shepard
- May 29: Two brightest planets getting close in evening sky
June
- June 8: Venus and Jupiter closest in evening sky
- June 13: Earliest sunrise, 5:12 a.m. CDT in Milwaukee
- June 21: Summer solstice starts at 3:25 a.m. CDT
- June 27: Latest sunset, 8:35 p.m. CDT in Milwaukee
Viking at Mars 1976; credit: NASA
July
- July 4: 10th anniversary of NASA spacecraft Juno orbiter arriving at Jupiter
- July 6: Earth at aphelion, the farthest point from the sun, 94.5 million miles
- July 20: 50th anniversary of first lander on Mars—Viking 1
- July 26: Pluto at opposition
- July 29: Jupiter at solar conjunction—behind sun—moving to morning sky
- July 31: 55th anniversary of first Lunar Rover, or moon buggy, Apollo 15
August
- August 12: Partial solar eclipse Milwaukee—1% 12:04 p.m. to 12:48 p.m.; totality for Iceland and Spain
- August 12-14: Perseids meteor shower peaks
- August 15: Jupiter and Mercury close in morning sky
- August 24: 20th anniversary of Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet by International Astronomical Union (IAU)
- August 27-28: Almost total lunar eclipse! 9:33 p.m. to 12:51 a.m.
September
- September 22: Fall arrives with the autumnal equinox at 7:05 p.m. CDT
- September 25: Neptune at opposition
- September 29: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Juice (ESA) gravity assist Earth, arrives Jupiter 2031
October
- October 3: Saturn at opposition; opposite the sun, visible all night
- October 24: Venus at inferior conjunction, between Earth and sun, moving to morning sky
Illustration of BepiColombo at Mercury; credit: ESA and ATG, NASA, and JPL
November
- November: BepiColombo (ESA & JAXA) spacecraft enters orbit of Mercury
- November 1: “Fall back!” Daylight Savings Time ends
- November 14: 55th anniversary of first orbiting spacecraft at Mars, Mariner 9
- November 16: Jupiter and Mars close in morning sky
- November 24: Supermoon, 7% bigger than average full moon
- November 25: Uranus at opposition
December
- December 3: NASA's Europa Clippers gravity assist Earth, arrives Jupiter 2030
- December 8: Earliest sunset, 4:17 p.m. CST in Milwaukee
- December 12-14: Geminid meteor shower peaks
- December 21: Winter solstice starts at 2:50 p.m. CST
- December 23: Supermoon, 7% bigger than average full moon
- December 31: Sirius opposite the sun, up all night