Comet
Schwassmann-Wachmann
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3-AY
Where is it now
- Distance from Sun
- 4.199 AU
- True anomaly
- 160.84°
- As of
- 29 August 2026
Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.
Orbital elements
- Semi-major axis
- 2.8 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.664
- Inclination
- 11.13°
- Orbital period
- 4.69 years
- Perihelion
- 0.941 AU
- Aphelion
- 4.659 AU
- Longitude of ascending node
- 69.59°
- Argument of periapsis
- 199.02°
- Epoch · J2000
- JD 2453895.48963 (perihelion)
Visual & observation
- Absolute magnitude (H)
- 20.4
- Spectral type
- JFc
Sources
- orbital elements: JPL SBDB (comets)