Comet
Schwassmann-Wachmann
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3-BU
Where is it now
- Distance from Sun
- 3.324 AU
- True anomaly
- 219.06°
- 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
- 2.888 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.6677
- Inclination
- 11.05°
- Orbital period
- 4.91 years
- Perihelion
- 0.96 AU
- Aphelion
- 4.817 AU
- Longitude of ascending node
- 70.74°
- Argument of periapsis
- 199.85°
- Epoch · J2000
- JD 2459816.33061 (perihelion)
Visual & observation
- Absolute magnitude (H)
- 19.1
- Spectral type
- JFc
Sources
- orbital elements: JPL SBDB (comets)