SKY Online - Comet Hale-Bopp
Comet Hale-Bopp Is Coming!, By Edwin
L. Aguirre
Adapted from Sky & Telescope, November 1995
The following orbital elements (equinox 2000.0), calculated by Brian Marsden, are adapted from Minor Planet Circular 25,623:
Perihelion date, T 1997 Mar. 31.96 UTPerihelion distance, q 0.9143 a.u.
Eccentricity, e 0.9953
Argument of perihelion 130.57°
Longitude of ascending node 282.47°
Inclination, i 89.43°