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Solar
Comet Near-Earth

Bradfield

C/1989 A3 (Bradfield)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
37.725 AU
True anomaly
179.02°
As of
17 September 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.

In the sky

Right ascension
01h 34m 21s
Declination
+24° 53′ 35″
Constellation
Pisces
Distance from Earth
36.93 AU
Elongation from the Sun
142.21° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the northern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far south.

From your location

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Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
19.195 AU
Eccentricity
0.9781
Inclination
83.06°
Orbital period
84.1 years
Perihelion
0.421 AU
Aphelion
37.97 AU
Longitude of ascending node
28.44°
Argument of periapsis
194.77°
Epoch · J2000
2447551.5
Orbit class · HTC
Halley-type comet
Earth MOID · 223.0 LD
0.5731 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.368

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 7).

Observations used
23
Data arc
53 days
First observed
7 January 1989
Last observed
1 March 1989
Residual RMS
0.99 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Discovery & classification

Also known as 1989 A3

Near-Earth Object Named

Sources