- - text and links as of last publication - -

General Introduction To the Year 2010

What's up in 2010? 2010 has the apex of the Mars 2009-2010 campaign unfolding, with the Red Planet reaching its opposition in January. Mars then will be observable until on June 2nd, 2010, when it will pass back under the 6" of apparent diameter! 2010 is providing with each two solar, and two lunar eclipses. As Venus will be a evening star between spring and early fall and will be reappearing like a morning star for the year's end, Saturn's rings are now back to a normal cycle, with the angle to the planet now gradually rising and Neptune seems to be reaching fine observation conditions! And more! Some interesting missions in space, like Dawn arriving to orbit at the minor planet Vesta, are to occur in 2010 as the year is to see the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet and the U.S.A. left with no manned access to the low-earth orbit and the ISS. 2010 will celebrate the space premieres of the year 1960, or the Apollo missions which occurred in 1970