The Yarkovsky effect is a phenomenon that affects the orbits of small celestial bodies, such as asteroids and meteoroids, due to the way they absorb and re-radiate solar energy. When a small body rotates and absorbs sunlight, it heats up during the day. As it rotates, it re-emits that heat as thermal radiation. However, this re-radiation is not uniform; it depends on the body's surface temperature and its orientation relative to the Sun.
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Anisotropic thermal radiation produces recoil that changes the semi-major axis of a rotating solid body. Finite thermal inertia provides the temperature lag. Large bodies have small acceleration per unit mass, while very small bodies become nearly isothermal. The Yarkovsky effect can supply bodies to dynamical escape regions.