73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3
📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.
Orbit
- Orbit class (JPL)
- JFc — Jupiter-family Comet
- Semi-major axis
- 3.09 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.686
- Inclination
- 11.2°
- Perihelion distance
- 0.972 AU
- Aphelion distance
- 5.21 AU
- Orbital period
- 1,990 days
- Perihelion passage
- JD 2459817.091
- Earth MOID
- 0.0134 AU
Earth approach
- Potentially hazardous (PHA)
- No
- Near-Earth object (NEO)
- Yes
In everyday life
- One orbit takes about 1,990 Earth days (about 5.4 years).
- Sunlight needs about 26 minutes to reach it on average (semi-major axis 3.1 AU) — versus about 8 min 19 s to Earth.
- At its closest it comes 1 AU from the Sun — 97.2% of the Earth–Sun distance.
Worked out from this object's official values.