future dates for real

2029

2035

Periastron of Alpha Centauri A and B.

2040

2044

1st October: Venus will occult Regulus. This last happened on 7 July 1959.  [Astronomy Now, November 2018, p104]

2061

Halley's Comet returns.

2065

22nd November:  transit of Jupiter by Venus - the first for 247 years.

2078

3rd October:  Mars will occult Theta Ophiuchi.  The previous occasion on which Mars occulted a bright star was 8th April 1976, the star then being Epsilon Geminorum.  [Astronomy Now, November 2018, p104.]

2079

11th August: occultation of Mars by Mercury.  

2114

February: Pluto will be at aphelion.

2117

December: the next Transit of Venus.

2186

16th July: total solar eclipse, the longest in a span of 12,000 years; totality will last 7 minutes and 29 seconds at maximum - close to the theoretical maximum of 7 minutes and 31 seconds.

2287

On 28th August, Mars will be even closer than at the opposition of 2003 when it approached to within 34,646,418 miles.  If there are still amateur telescope-users on Earth in 2287, they should be looking forward to the day...            

2439

The autumnal equinox will enter Leo. 

2576

August 7, 2576: The final limit of the original Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Modified Julian Date (MJD) system before a system epoch reset.

2597

The vernal equinox leaves Pisces and enters Aquarius.

2600

5th May: a total solar eclipse visible at London.

2656

Triple conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.

2880

16th March:  A small probability exists that Asteroid 1950DA (about 0.7 miles across) will hit Earth.

3886

Alignment of the Sun, Earth, Jupiter and Pluto.

4385

Return of Comet Hale-Bopp (the bright comet of 1997).  [Sky at Night Magazine, July 2025, p41]

5800

By this time, Omega Carinae (magnitude 3.29) will have approached closer than 1° to the south celestial pole.

6757

An ultra-rare simultaneous occurrence of a total solar eclipse and a transit of Mercury across the Sun.

9800

Around this year Deneb will be an approximate Pole Star (about 7° from the north celestial pole).

11,800

The Solar System and Barnard's Star will have approached to about 3.8 light-years from each other (the closest they'll get). 

15,232

5th April:  A rare combination of events: a Venus transit during a solar eclipse.  

15,300

Beta Pictoris will be within 6° of the South Celestial Pole.  [POTF]

20,279

Voyager 2 will be 3.211 light-years from Proxima Centauri.  [Astronomy Now, March 1990, p.28]

20,584

Voyager 2 will be 3.47 light-years from Alpha Centauri.  [Astronomy Now, March 1990, p.28]

22,000

Around this time Lalande 21185 will be at its closest to Earth: 4.6 light-years.

22,400

Thuban will have returned to within 2° of the North Celestial Pole, and will therefore be as much of a Pole Star as it was for the ancient Egyptians in 2800 B.C.   [POTF]

40,170

Voyager 2 will be 1.648 light-years from Ross 248.

69,163

26 July: Mercury and Venus will transit the Sun simultaneously for the first time since 22 September 373,173 B.C.

70,000

Sirius will be within a few degrees of the South Celestial Pole.  [POTF]

290,000

For a few millennia either side of this date, Vega will shine at magnitude -0.8, compared with its current 0.03, and will be the brightest star in our night sky.  Its distance will have decreased from 25 to 17 light-years.                   
  [Fred Schaaf, "Vega on High", Sky & Telescope, July 2004, p.58]

298,477

Voyager 2 will have approached to 4.295 light-years from Sirius.  [Astronomy Now, March 1990, p.28]

14,000,000

The Sun, as it bobs up and down along its orbit of the Galaxy, will be around its maximum height (about 250 light-years) above the galactic plane.