Comet
Schwassmann-Wachmann
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3-BV
Where is it now
- Distance from Sun
- 4.522 AU
- True anomaly
- 202.63°
- 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
- 3.134 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.6892
- Inclination
- 11.24°
- Orbital period
- 5.55 years
- Perihelion
- 0.974 AU
- Aphelion
- 5.294 AU
- Longitude of ascending node
- 69.52°
- Argument of periapsis
- 199.39°
- Epoch · J2000
- JD 2459816.49515 (perihelion)
Visual & observation
- Absolute magnitude (H)
- 19
- Spectral type
- JFc
Sources
- orbital elements: JPL SBDB (comets)