The role of the Yarkovsky effect in the long-term dynamics of asteroid (469219) Kamo'oalewa

Abstract

Near-Earth asteroid (469219) Kamo'oalewa (aka 2016 HO3) is an Earth co-orbital and a potential space mission target. Its short-term dynamics is characterized by a periodic switching between quasi-satellite and horseshoe configurations. Due to its small diameter of only about 36 meters, the Yarkovsky effect may play a significant role in the long-term dynamics. In this work, we addressed this issue by studying the changes in the long-term motion of Kamo'oalewa caused by the Yarkovsky effect. We used an estimation of the magnitude of the Yarkovsky effect assuming different surface compositions and introduced the semi-major axis drift by propagating orbits of test particles representing the clones of the nominal orbit. Our simulations showed that the Yarkovsky effect may cause Kamo'oalewa to exit from the Earth co-orbital region a bit faster when compared to a purely gravitational model. Nevertheless, it still could remain an Earth companion for at least 0.5 My in the future. Our results imply that Kamo'oalewa is the most stable Earth's co-orbital object known so far, not only from a short-term perspective but also on long time scales.

14 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

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• Dynamical evolution of basaltic asteroids outside the Vesta family in the inner main belt
• Proper elements for resonant planet-crossing asteroids
• Astrometry, orbit determination, and thermal inertia of the Tianwen-2 target asteroid (469219) Kamo`oalewa
• Dynamical Origin of (469219) Kamo`oalewa of Tianwen-2 Mission from the Main-Belt: ${\nu }_6$ Secular Resonance, Flora Family or 3:1 Resonance with Jupiter
• Physical and dynamical properties of selected Earth co-orbital asteroids