near-Earth Research Articles

Near-Earth Asteroids Orbit Determination by DRO Space-Based Optical Observations

In response to the problem that ground-based optical monitoring systems cannot monitor near-Earth asteroids which are in the direction too close to the Sun on the celestial sphere, we raise a method that tracks and determines the orbit of asteroids by Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) platforms with optical monitoring. Through data filtering by visibility analysis and the initial orbit information of the asteroids provided by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the asteroids’ orbits are determined and compared with the reference orbit. Simulation results show that with a measurement accuracy of two arcseconds and an arc length of three years, the orbit determination accuracy of the DRO platform for near-Earth asteroids selected in the simulation example can reach tens of kilometers, especially the asteroids with Atira orbits to an accuracy of fewer than ten kilometers. In conclusion, the near-Earth asteroids monitoring systems based on DRO platforms are capable to provide sufficient monitoring effectiveness which enables precisely tracking of the target asteroids and forecast of their positions.

Challenges in Identifying Artificial Objects in the Near-Earth Object Population: Spectral Characterization of 2020 SO

Since the dawn of the Space Age, hundreds of payloads have been launched into heliocentric space. As near-Earth object (NEO) surveys search deeper for small asteroids, more artificial objects in heliocentric orbits are being discovered. We now face a challenge to identify the true nature of these objects and avoid contaminating the NEO catalog. Here, we present the methods used to characterize one such object. 2020 SO was discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 survey on 2020 September 17. Originally classified as a NEO, the object’s artificial nature became evident due to its low velocity relative to Earth and solar radiation pressure affecting its orbit about the Sun. Based on a backward propagation of its orbit, 2020 SO is thought to be a Centaur rocket body (R/B) from the launch of the Surveyor 2 mission to the Moon. We characterized 2020 SO using a range of ground-based optical and near-infrared telescopes to constrain its true nature. We find that its reflectance spectrum is consistent with that of other Centaur R/B launched during a similar time frame, and we identify 1.4, 1.7, and 2.3 μm absorption bands consistent with polyvinyl fluoride used on the aft bulkhead radiation shield exterior of Centaur-D R/B at the time.

The Unusual Brightness Phase Curve of (65803) Didymos

On 2022 September 26, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully hit Dimorphos, the smaller companion of the binary system formed with the asteroid (65803) Didymos. Both the binary system and the impact event were imaged by the Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids, detached from DART 15 days before the impact. Images from the onboard LUKE red, green, and blue camera together with ground-based observations enabled the reconstruction of Didymos's brightness phase curve, with phase angles ranging from 2.35° to 107.7°. The opposition effect regime was studied using the exponential-linear equation, the “Shevchenko” function and the linear-by-parts model while the IAU-official HG1G2 magnitude system was applied to the full phase curve. The opposition effect indicates an unusual asteroid surface for an S type, with characteristics similar to M-type asteroids. While the HG1G2 parameters from the full phase curve place Didymos well among asteroids of the taxonomic C complex. Didymos’s phase curve parameters when compared to near-Earth asteroids are very close to the Q type (1862) Apollo, indicating possible depletion of fine submicrometric grains through resurfacing. Didymos's geometric albedo (0.15 ± 0.01) is reported to be 30%–45% smaller than the average geometric albedo for near-Earth S types (0.26 ± 0.04). We propose that Didymos might be an LL ordinary chondrite analog containing albedo-suppressing, shock-darkened/impact melt minerals that have undergone resurfacing processes in the past. A comparison with meteorites indicates that, less likely, Didymos could also contain materials analog to carbon-bearing brecciated L3 ordinary chondrites.

Re-examination of the transportation abilities of the 5:2 MMR with Jupiter

Resonances in the main asteroid belt play a significant role in the dynamical evolution of small bodies. They are capable of driving objects into the near-Earth object (NEO) region as well. This work re-examines the transportation abilities of the 5:2 mean motion resonance (MMR) with Jupiter. We focus on a greater portion of the resonance than the previous study that used a similar method. We are also interested in an elimination course along $q 0.26\,$au that was discovered previously. Moreover, we search for the orbits of potentially hazardous asteroids and for orbits that correspond to recent L chondrite meteorites. Firstly, short-term fast Lyapunov indicator maps of the 5:2 MMR were computed in order to distinguish between stable and unstable orbits. Then over $10\,000$ unstable particles were selected and integrated for a longer period of time, up to $10\,$Myr, to reveal the transportation abilities of the resonance. During our simulation, $99.45<!PCT!>$ of test particles became NEOs, $9.43<!PCT!>$ reached the orbit with a semi-major axis, $a<1\,$au, and over $27<!PCT!>$ of particles migrated to low perihelion distances, $q<0.005\,$au. In addition, $92.8<!PCT!>$ of the particles entered the Hill sphere of the Earth and over $97<!PCT!>$ reached an orbit at which we would classify them as potentially hazardous if they were sufficiently large. However, our simulation did not confirm ejections along $q 0.26\,$au. Our results suggest that there is some kind of discrepancy between using the MERCURIUS integrator (REBOUND package) and the ORBIT9 integrator (OrbFit package). This subject is worth additional examination.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Millimeter Observations of a Population of Asteroids or: ACTeroids

We present fluxes and light curves for a population of asteroids at millimeter wavelengths, detected by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) over 18,000 deg2 of the sky using data from 2017 to 2021. We utilize high cadence maps, which can be used in searching for moving objects such as asteroids and trans-Neptunian Objects, as well as for studying transients. We detect 170 asteroids with a signal-to-noise of at least 5 in at least one of the ACT observing bands, which are centered near 90, 150, and 220 GHz. For each asteroid, we compare the ACT measured flux to predicted fluxes from the near-Earth asteroid thermal model fit to WISE data. We confirm previous results that detected a deficit of flux at millimeter wavelengths. Moreover, we report a spectral characteristic to this deficit, such that the flux is relatively lower at 150 and 220 GHz than at 90 GHz. Additionally, we find that the deficit in flux is greater for S-type asteroids than for C-type.

The Fastest Rotators: Near-Earth Asteroids Observed with the Arecibo Planetary Radar System

Fast-rotating asteroids (FRAs) are considered to be small bodies having a rotation period (P) faster than the spin barrier of about 2.3 h, starting at diameters of less than 300 m. We selected the 20 fastest Arecibo radar-observed targets, with P<0.13 h (∼8 min). Some key measurements and calculations obtained from radar observations include: the Doppler bandwidth, the circular polarization ratio, radar astrometry, and (with enough signal-to-noise ratio) delay-Doppler images of the object. Rotation period data available from the Light Curve Database for the selected objects combined with the radar observations allow us to constrain the possible diameters and confirm the periods. Of the objects in this sample, the median absolute magnitude (H) is 24.9, and the median calculated diameter is 32 meters.The apparent rotation period indicated by the bandwidth can appear slower than the object’s true rotation, but not faster, providing an upper limit to the true rotation period. Asteroid cohesion required to prevent rotational disruption depends on rotation rate, density, and diameter; we performed calculations for the minimum values for cohesion via the Drucker–Prager (D–P) cohesion criterion. Most of these objects need a few to a few hundred pascals of cohesion; however four cases stand out: 2014 TV, 2015 RF36, 2015 GS2 and 2017 EK, needing a minimum cohesion on the order of a few kilopascals. These are comparable to very weak Earth rocks, and are larger than previously reported values for NEAs.

Taxonomy of Subkilometer Near-Earth Objects from Multiwavelength Photometry with RATIR

We present results from observations of 238 near-Earth objects (NEOs) obtained with the RATIR instrument on the 1.5 m robotic telescope at San Pedro Martir’s National Observatory in Mexico, in the frame of our multiobservatory, multifilter campaign. Our project is focused on rapid response photometric observations of NEOs with absolute magnitudes in the range 18.1–27.1 (diameter ≈ 600 and 10 m, respectively). Data with coverage in the near-infrared and visible range were analyzed with a nonparametric classification algorithm, while visible-only data were independently analyzed via Monte Carlo simulations and a 1-Nearest Neighbor method. The rapid response and the use of spectrophotometry allows us to obtain taxonomic classifications of subkilometer objects with small telescopes, representing a convenient characterization strategy. We present taxonomic classifications of the 87 objects observed in the visible and near-infrared. We also present the taxonomic distribution of an additional 151 objects observed in the visible. Our most accurate method suggests a nonfeatured-to-featured ratio of ≈0.75, which is consistent with the value found by the Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey, which conducted a similar study using a spectral analysis. The results from the Monte Carlo method suggest a ratio of ≈0.8, although this method has some limitations. The 1-Nearest Neighbor method showed to be not suitable for NEO classifications.

Variable stiffness design for the soft landing of a 2016HO3 asteroid probe

China plans to launch a probe to detect and sampling on the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 around 2025. In view of this, this paper discusses an alternative landing strategy with passive variable stiffness landing gears, which help to land the probe stably on the asteroid for sufficient sampling time. First, a three-legged lander is introduced, following which, a four-bar-linkage-based variable stiffness leg is designed considering the design constraint of landing clearance. Then, a numerical model of the probe for landing simulation is established. Moreover, a surrogate model is obtained using the second-order response surface method (RSM) to improve computational efficiency. Based on the surrogate, the variable stiffness leg and the pressing force are optimized to reduce the impact forces at touchdown and the landing time. Finally, the optimal solution is validated using the dynamics analysis model.

Error Analysis for Rotating-drift-scan Charge-coupled Device Observation of Near-Earth Asteroids

The apparent velocities of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are usually high when they pass by Earth. Observing these fast-moving objects with long exposure times would cause their images to streak and significantly decrease the precision of astronomical measurements. The rotating-drift-scan (RDS) charge-coupled device technique is a promising approach to observe fast-moving NEAs during their close approaches to Earth. By rotating the camera of a telescope, an NEA can be observed in the time delay integration mode. This allows the asteroid to be imaged as a point source, even with a long exposure time. Here, we thoroughly present the RDS follow-up observation and orbit determination of a newly discovered NEA 2023 BJ7. This technique makes an impactful contribution to improving the NEA's orbit accuracy by extending the observation arc. A detailed statistical analysis of the astrometric error was conducted, revealing that RDS observations can achieve a competitive accuracy with an rms error of 0.″24 in right ascension and 0.″32 in declination. The instability of the telescope is thought to be the main reason affecting the internal precision. Furthermore, the RDS technique excels at observing fast-moving NEAs, as well as newly discovered NEAs without accurate ephemerides. For NEAs with rates of motion exceeding 10 deg day−1, the rms of RDS observation residuals is 0.″35 in the along-track direction and 0.″23 in the cross-track. With this technique, a network of small-aperture telescopes would substantially benefit our global NEAs monitoring system to ensure Earth’s safety from any asteroid impacts.

Irregular longitudinal data analysis with statistical and machine learning methods for hazardous asteroids

Observations of the asteroids have been performed as long as it has been feasible by the available observational equipment. Recorded data, going back to 18th century, allowed a classification of these celestial objects’ hazardous status. Unfortunately, previous studies used methods that ignore subject dependency in Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA) data. This study aims to perform hazard classification of asteroids by proposing various statistical and machine learning methods on NEA data to overcome these shortcomings. We analyze data from 751 asteroids observed at irregular time intervals through the NASA. We compare algorithms suitable for longitudinal data structure, such as the Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM), marginal model, GLMM-Tree, Historical Random Forest, GPBoost, and Spline. To the best of our knowledge and based on a comprehensive review of the existing literature, our study stands as the pioneering in the utilization of these advanced methodologies for the in-depth analysis of Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) data. According to the findings, the accuracies of the models range from 0.89 to 0.99. The GPBoost model has the highest performance, while the marginal model has the poorest one.

Near-Earth asteroids of cometary origin associated with the Virginid complex

The Virginid meteoroid streams produce a series of meteor showers active annually during February–May. A certain parent comet is not found but a related association of some showers with near-Earth asteroids was previously established and a cometary origin of these asteroids was suggested. We performed a new search for NEAs belonging to the Virginid asteroid–meteoroid complex. On the base of calculation of orbital evolution of a sample of NEAs and determination of theoretical features of related showers a search for observable active showers close to theoretically predicted ones was carried out. As a result, the predicted showers of 27 NEAs were identified with the showers of the Virginid complex. Revealed association points to a cometary nature of NEAs that are moving within the stream and may be considered as extinct fragments of a larger comet-progenitor of the Virginid asteroid–meteoroid complex.

Deep learning-assisted near-Earth asteroid tracking in astronomical images

The large number of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) has greatly impacted human space activities and Earth security. However, detecting NEAs in astronomical images with complex, varying backgrounds is still extremely challenging. In this paper, we propose a deep segmentation assisted asteroid tracking algorithm, termed DSAT, to construct a possible pipeline for faint NEA tracking in astronomical images. First, the single-frame object detection problem is converted to a segmentation problem, enabling robust extraction of faint potential moving objects. Then, a multiframe motion prior-based moving object tracking algorithm is proposed to find real NEAs. We further propose a distance tolerance criterion to help DSAT achieve effective tracking in practical situations when detection has partially failed. Finally, the pipeline is tested with both simulated and real astronomical images at different SNRs and in crowded fields. The results showed that our pipeline has the potential to detect and track faint NEAs in complex backgrounds. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/zhenhongdu/DeepSegAsteroidTracker.

Near-Earth Object Observations using Synthetic Tracking

Synthetic tracking (ST) has emerged as a potent technique for observing fast-moving near-Earth objects (NEOs), offering enhanced detection sensitivity and astrometric accuracy by avoiding trailing loss. This approach also empowers small telescopes to use prolonged integration times to achieve high sensitivity for NEO surveys and follow-up observations. In this study, we present the outcomes of ST observations conducted with Pomona College’s 1 m telescope at the Table Mountain Facility and JPL’s robotic telescopes at the Sierra Remote Observatory. The results showcase astrometric accuracy statistics comparable to stellar astrometry, irrespective of an object’s rate of motion, and the capability to detect faint asteroids beyond 20.5th magnitude using 11 inch telescopes. Furthermore, we detail the technical aspects of data processing, including the correction of differential chromatic refraction in the atmosphere and accurate timing for image stacking, which contribute to achieving precise astrometry. We also provide compelling examples that showcase the robustness of ST even when asteroids closely approach stars or bright satellites cause disturbances. Moreover, we illustrate the proficiency of ST in recovering NEO candidates with highly uncertain ephemerides. As a glimpse of the potential of NEO surveys utilizing small robotic telescopes with ST, we present significant statistics from our NEO survey conducted for testing purposes. These findings underscore the promise and effectiveness of ST as a powerful tool for observing fast-moving NEOs, offering valuable insights into their trajectories and characteristics. Overall, the adoption of ST stands to revolutionize fast-moving NEO observations for planetary defense and studying these celestial bodies.

Orbital and Physical Characterization of Asteroid Dimorphos Following the DART Impact

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impacted Dimorphos, the satellite of binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos, on 2022 September 26 UTC. We estimate the changes in the orbital and physical properties of the system due to the impact using ground-based photometric and radar observations, as well as DART camera observations. Under the assumption that Didymos is an oblate spheroid, we estimate that its equatorial and polar radii are 394 ± 11 m and 290 ± 16 m, respectively. We estimate that the DART impact instantaneously changed the along-track velocity of Dimorphos by −2.63 ± 0.06 mm s−1. Initially, after the impact, Dimorphos’s orbital period had changed by −32.7 minutes ± 16 s to 11.377 ± 0.004 hr. We find that over the subsequent several weeks the orbital period changed by an additional 34 ± 15 s, eventually stabilizing at 11.3674 ± 0.0004 hr. The total change in the orbital period was −33.25 minutes ±1.5 s. The postimpact orbit exhibits an apsidal precession rate of 6.7 ± 0.°2 day−1. Under our model, this rate is driven by the oblateness parameter of Didymos, J 2, as well as the spherical harmonics coefficients, C 20 and C 22, of Dimorphos’s gravity. Under the assumption that Dimorphos is a triaxial ellipsoid with a uniform density, its C 20 and C 22 estimates imply axial ratios, a/b and a/c, of about 1.3 and 1.6, respectively. Preimpact images from DART indicate Dimorphos’s shape was close to that of an oblate spheroid, and thus our results indicate that the DART impact significantly altered the shape of Dimorphos.

Pre-impact Thermophysical Properties and the Yarkovsky Effect of NASA DART Target (65803) Didymos

The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted the secondary body of the binary asteroid (65803) Didymos on 2022 September 26 and altered its orbit about the primary body. Before the DART impact, we performed visible and mid-infrared observations to constrain the pre-impact thermophysical properties of the Didymos system and to model its Yarkovsky effect. Analysis of the photometric phase curve derives a Bond albedo of 0.07 ± 0.01, and a thermophysical analysis of the mid-infrared observations derives a thermal inertia of 320 ± 70 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2 and a thermal roughness of 40° ± 3° rms slope. These properties are compatible with the ranges derived for other S-type near-Earth asteroids. Model-to-measurement comparisons of the Yarkovsky orbital drift for Didymos derives a bulk density of 2750 ± 350 kg m−3, which agrees with other independent measures based on the binary mutual orbit. This bulk density indicates that Didymos is spinning at or near its critical spin-limit at which self-gravity balances equatorial centrifugal forces. Furthermore, comparisons with the post-impact infrared observations presented in Rivkin et al. indicate no change in the thermal inertia of the Didymos system following the DART impact. Finally, orbital temperature simulations indicate that subsurface water ice is stable over geologic timescales in the polar regions if present. These findings will be investigated in more detail by the upcoming ESA Hera mission.

The Remarkable Predictive Power of Infrared Data of Blazars

Blazars are the brightest and most abundant persistent sources in the extragalactic γ-ray sky. Due to their significance, they are often observed across various energy bands, where the data of which can be used to explore potential correlations between emission at different energies, yielding valuable insights into the emission processes of their powerful jets. In this study we utilized IR data at 3.4 and 4.6 μm from the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Reactivation Mission, spanning 8 yr of observations, X-ray data from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory collected throughout the satellite’s lifetime, and 12 years of γ-ray measurements from the Fermi Large Area Telescope’s all-sky survey. Our analysis reveals that the IR spectral slope reliably predicts the peak frequency and maximum intensity of the synchrotron component of blazar spectral energy distributions, provided it is uncontaminated by radiation unrelated to the jet. A notable correlation between the IR and γ-ray fluxes was observed, with the BL Lacertae subclass of blazars displaying a strong correlation coefficient of r = 0.80. IR band variability is more pronounced in flat spectrum radio quasars than in BL Lacertae objects, with mean fractional variability values of 0.65 and 0.35, respectively. We also observed that the synchrotron peak intensity of intermediate-high-energy-peaked objects can forecast their detectability at very high γ-ray energies. We used this predicting power to identify objects in current catalogs that could meet the detection threshold of the Cerenkov Telescope Array extragalactic survey, which should encompass approximately 180 blazars.

Physical properties of asteroid Dimorphos as derived from the DART impact

AbstractOn 26 September 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully impacted Dimorphos, the natural satellite of the binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos. Numerical simulations of the impact provide a means to find the surface material properties and structures of the target that are consistent with the observed momentum deflection efficiency, ejecta cone geometry and ejected mass. Our simulation that best matches the observations indicates that Dimorphos is weak, with a cohesive strength of less than a few pascals, like asteroids (162173) Ryugu and (101955) Bennu. We find that the bulk density of Dimorphos ρB is lower than ~2,400 kg m−3 and that it has a low volume fraction of boulders (≲40 vol%) on the surface and in the shallow subsurface, which are consistent with data measured by the DART experiment. These findings suggest that Dimorphos is a rubble pile that might have formed through rotational mass shedding and reaccumulation from Didymos. Our simulations indicate that the DART impact caused global deformation and resurfacing of Dimorphos. ESA’s upcoming Hera mission may find a reshaped asteroid rather than a well-defined crater.

Long-term orbital evolution of dimorphos boulders and implications on the origin of meteorites

ABSTRACT By using recent observations of the Dydimos−Dimorphos system from the Hubble Space Telescope, 37 boulders with a size of 4 to 7 m ejected from the system during the impact with the DART spacecraft were identified. In this work, we studied the orbital evolution of a swarm of boulders with a similar size to that of the detected ones. By using recent estimates for the ejection velocity of the boulders, we numerically propagated the dynamics of the swarm for 20 kyr in the future. We found that the ejection velocities and the non-gravitational effects are not strong enough to change the secular evolution significantly. The minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) with the Earth will be reached in about 2.5 kyr, but it will not fall below 0.02 au. On the contrary, the Mars MOID will be very small in four instances, two near 6 kyr and the other two near 15 kyr. Therefore, there may be a chance for them to impact Mars in the future. Given the rarefaction of the Martian atmosphere, we expect the boulders to arrive intact on the ground and excavate a small impact crater. The results presented here provide a further indication that some meteorites found on Earth originated in collisions of ∼100 m near-Earth asteroids with projectiles of ∼1 m in size.

An automated procedure for the detection of the Yarkovsky effect and results from the ESA NEO Coordination Centre

Context. The measurement of the Yarkovsky effect on near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) is common practice in orbit determination today, and the number of detections will increase with the developments of new and more accurate telescopic surveys. However, the process of finding new detections and identifying spurious ones is not yet automated, and it often relies on personal judgment. Aims. We aim to introduce a more automated procedure that can search for NEA candidates to measure the Yarkovsky effect, and that can identify spurious detections. Methods. The expected semi-major axis drift on an NEA caused by the Yarkovsky effect was computed with a Monte Carlo method on a statistical model of the physical parameters of the asteroid that relies on the most recent NEA population models and data. The expected drift was used to select candidates in which the Yarkovsky effect might be detected, according to the current knowledge of their orbit and the length of their observational arc. Then, a nongravitational acceleration along the transverse direction was estimated through orbit determination for each candidate. If the detected acceleration was statistically significant, we performed a statistical test to determine whether it was compatible with the Yarkovsky effect model. Finally, we determined the dependence on an isolated tracklet. Results. Among the known NEAs, our procedure automatically found 348 detections of the Yarkovsky effect that were accepted. The results are overall compatible with the predicted trend with the inverse of the diameter, and the procedure appears to be efficient in identifying and rejecting spurious detections. This algorithm is now adopted by the ESA NEO Coordination Centre to periodically update the catalogue of NEAs with a measurable Yarkovsky effect, and the results are automatically posted on the web portal.

New Yarkovsky drift detections using astrometric observations of NEAs

The Yarkovsky drift represents the semi-major axis variation of a celestial body due to the Yarkovsky effect. This thermodynamic effect acts more significantly on bodies with a diameter between ≈10m\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\approx 10 \\,\ ext {m}$$\\end{document} and ≈30km\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\approx 30 \\,\ ext {km}$$\\end{document}. Therefore, the orbits of many minor bodies of the solar system are affected: knowing the value of the Yarkovsky drift can be crucial to accurately predict their positions, especially if the asteroids are Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) and there may be a non-zero impact probability with the Earth. The direct computation of this effect is not easily achieved due to the scarce availability of NEAs physical information. Thus, the more promising method to estimate the Yarkovsky effect is through an orbital fit using seven parameters, the six orbital elements and a seventh parameter accounting for non-gravitational interactions. In this paper, we show the analysis of 1262 NEAs with Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) greater or equal 2, of which 279 have the parameter S (absolute ratio between the Yarkovsky drift and its expected value) less than 1.5 and are therefore more reliable. Among these, 91 are not present in the literature, thus represent new Yarkovsky drift detections. Furthermore, we used our results to estimate the ratio of the retrograde over prograde rotators and to validate the dependence of the Yarkovsky drift from the diameter, da/dt ≈D-1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\approx D^{-1}$$\\end{document}.