Astronomy12 papers
The Yarkovsky effect
IŽ
Ivana Milić Žitnik
All Reviews
AstronomyMust Read
intermediate
The Yarkovsky and YORP Effects
D. Vokrouhlický et al. (2015)
- Published
- Jan 1, 2015
- Journal
- Asteroids IV
- DOI
- 10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch027
At a Glance
Comprehensive review of how thermal radiation forces/torques (Yarkovsky, YORP, BYORP) drive asteroid orbits, spins, and binaries.
Summary
This chapter synthesizes the modern theory, measurement techniques, and scientific uses of the Yarkovsky (orbital drift) and YORP/BYORP (spin and binary-orbit evolution) effects, which are now central to small-body dynamics. It highlights why Yarkovsky is comparatively robust to model (often spherical/1D thermal models suffice) while YORP is intrinsically sensitive to fine-scale topography, self-heating, and 3D heat transport—making prediction harder and motivating “stochastic/self-limited YORP” ideas. Using full-text case studies and detection catalogs (e.g., Bennu’s extremely precise Yarkovsky drift; a short list of firm YORP detections; BYORP non-detections consistent with tide–BYORP equilibrium), it shows how these subtle forces constrain asteroid density/thermal inertia, shape and internal structure, and even impact probabilities. The review also connects these effects to population-level outcomes such as NEA retrograde-spin excess, asteroid-family age dating via Yarkovsky spreading, spin-axis clustering (Slivan states), and binary formation/evolution pathways driven by YORP/BYORP plus tides.
Method Snapshot
Analytical scaling theory plus thermophysical/radiative recoil modeling, tied to orbit/rotation-state estimation from radar and long-arc optical photometry.
Background
Celestial mechanics and basic heat transfer/thermophysics for small Solar System bodies.