| Astrophysics (Index) | About |
The Yarkovsky effect is a force on orbiting objects that are spinning when receiving radiation from one direction. The direction of highest thermal radiation from the object is influenced by the object's rotation. In particular, when the object is a planet orbiting a star, that's spinning in the same direction as the orbit, the thermal radiation boosts the orbit speed, widening the orbit, and when such an object is spinning in the opposite direction, it slows the orbit speed, narrowing the orbit. The Yarkovsky effect is now recognized as a contributor to orbital migration for objects around stars (planets, asteroids, etc.), measurable for some smaller objects, which clearly has the potential to be significant for meteoroids and pebbles.