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Comet

Bradfield

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C/1987 P1 (Bradfield)

Bradfield is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.87 AU to 329.35 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 2,121.6 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 April 2021.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
61.176 AU
True anomaly
167.64°
Distance from Earth
61.529 AU
As of
24 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.

Sun Earth — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth Bradfield — 61.176 AU from the Sun Bradfield
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Bradfield is 61.529 AU from Earth today (8.5 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
09h 13m 03s
Declination
-14° 46′ 18″
Constellation
Hydra
Distance from Earth
61.52 AU
Elongation from the Sun
69.52° — well clear of the Sun

Visible from both hemispheres.

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
165.111 AU
Eccentricity
0.9947
Inclination
34.09°
Orbital period
2,121.6 years
Perihelion
0.869 AU
Aphelion
329.352 AU
Longitude of ascending node
268.09°
Argument of periapsis
73.9°
Epoch · J2000
2447128.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 78.9 LD
0.2027 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.988

Orbit quality

Observations used
611
Data arc
245 days
First observed
12 August 1987
Last observed
13 April 1988
Residual RMS
0.66 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
6
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 8.5
6

Discovery & classification

Also known as 1987 P1

Named

Sources