Direct detection of the Yarkovsky effect by radar ranging to asteroid 6489 Golevka.
Radar ranging from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to the 0.5-kilometer near-Earth asteroid 6489 Golevka unambiguously reveals a small nongravitational acceleration caused by the anisotropic thermal emission of absorbed sunlight. The magnitude of this perturbation, known as the Yarkovsky effect, is a function of the asteroid's mass and surface thermal characteristics. Direct detection of the Yarkovsky effect on asteroids will help constrain their physical properties, such as bulk density, and refine their orbital paths. Based on the strength of the detected perturbation, we estimate the bulk density of Golevka to be 2.7(+0.4)(-0.6) grams per cubic centimeter.
Chesley
Steven R
SR
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
Ostro
Steven J
SJ
Vokrouhlicky
David
D
Capek
David
D
Giorgini
Jon D
JD
Nolan
Michael C
MC
Margot
Jean-Luc
JL
Hine
Alice A
AA
Benner
Lance A M
LA
Chamberlin
Alan B
AB