William A. Bradfield is one of the best known comet hunters in the world.
He was born in New Zealand and lives in Australia. He is not a professional astronomer. He discovered his first comet in 1972. The comet C/1972 E1 has only his name, as the other 17 comets he found with a six-inch (15 cm) telescope. He found his last comet in 2004. He is one of the greatest comet hunters in history. His success inspires many southern hemisphere comet hunters.