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Comet Near-Earth

Schwassmann-Wachmann

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73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3-C

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
3.823 AU
True anomaly
212.68°
Distance from Earth
4.151 AU
As of
11 October 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.

Orbit of Mercury Orbit of Venus Orbit of Mars Sun Earth — 0.998 AU from the Sun Earth Schwassmann-Wachmann — 3.823 AU from the Sun Schwassmann-Wachmann
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Schwassmann-Wachmann is 4.151 AU from Earth today (34.5 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
09h 18m 59s
Declination
+24° 15′ 36″
Constellation
Cancer
Distance from Earth
4.14 AU
Elongation from the Sun
64.57° — well clear of the Sun

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

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

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
3.063 AU
Eccentricity
0.6922
Inclination
11.38°
Orbital period
5.36 years
Perihelion
0.943 AU
Aphelion
5.184 AU
Longitude of ascending node
69.84°
Argument of periapsis
198.87°
Epoch · J2000
2455980.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 14.9 LD
0.0384 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.784

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
3,223
Data arc
16.02 years
First observed
15 December 1995
Last observed
24 December 2011
Residual RMS
0.86 ″
Solution · Alan B. Chamberlin
22 February 2012

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
13.2
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 9
13.2

Discovery & classification

Also known as 73P-C

Near-Earth Object Named

Close approaches 21 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of Schwassmann-Wachmann at 2054-08-16 16:51 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2054-08-16 16:51 UTC close approach of Schwassmann-Wachmann. Catalogue miss distance 66.0 LD · 2.54 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2054-08-13 to 2054-08-19, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. The path is approximate: a two-body Kepler propagation of the catalogue orbital elements, not a numerical integration. The Moon’s position is approximate. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate. approximate Sun 66.0 LD · 2.54 × 10⁷ km 2054-08-16 16:51 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2054-08-16 16:51 UTC close approach of Schwassmann-Wachmann. Catalogue miss distance 66.0 LD · 2.54 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2054-08-13 to 2054-08-19, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. The path is approximate: a two-body Kepler propagation of the catalogue orbital elements, not a numerical integration. The Moon’s position is approximate. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate.

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2037-04-12 11:03:00 Juptr 1.8701 AU 727.8 LD 12.5 km/s
2054-08-16 16:51:00 Earth 0.1696 AU 66.0 LD 17.8 km/s
2070-06-21 20:51:00 Earth 0.1253 AU 48.8 LD 11.9 km/s
2072-05-01 20:54:00 Juptr 0.321 AU 124.9 LD 7.2 km/s
2072-05-01 20:54:00 Jupiter 0.321 AU 124.9 LD 7.2 km/s
2084-11-06 12:27:00 Juptr 0.2575 AU 100.2 LD 6.7 km/s
2084-11-06 12:27:00 Jupiter 0.2575 AU 100.2 LD 6.7 km/s
2096-11-03 07:18:00 Juptr 0.7305 AU 284.3 LD 8.8 km/s
2098-08-25 03:25:00 Earth 0.4972 AU 193.5 LD 25.5 km/s
2109-08-09 13:15:00 Earth 0.2041 AU 79.4 LD 17.4 km/s

Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.

Sources