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Yarkovsky Effect 3D Explorer vs alternatives
Yarkovsky Effect 3D Explorer animates the thermal-lag hot spot and the orbit-shrinking or orbit-growing consequence side by side for both rotation senses in one 3D scene - a physics textbook diagram wins as a fixed printed reference; NASA's Bennu mission page wins for the full OSIRIS-REx mission narrative and sample-return results.
| Option | Strength | Access | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yarkovsky Effect 3D Explorer (this page) | Animated hot-spot recoil plus a rotation-sense toggle and elapsed-years scrub in one 3D scene | Free, in browser | One real measured rate (Bennu); the Prograde option is a labelled teaching mirror, not a second object |
| Physics textbook diagram | Fixed printed reference with the underlying equations | Textbooks/references | Cannot be replayed or scrubbed through elapsed years |
| NASA Bennu mission page | Full OSIRIS-REx mission narrative and sample-return results | Free, official source | No animated 3D teaching view of the recoil mechanism itself |
Key published figures
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Bennu semimajor-axis drift | -284.6 +/- 1.5 m/year |
| 1999-2012 measured shift | about 160-185 km |
| Thrust magnitude | "about the weight of three grapes" (NASA JPL) |
| Impact probability through 2300 | about 1-in-1750 (NASA JPL, post-OSIRIS-REx refinement) |
Start with the step-by-step guide or when to use. Open the Yarkovsky Effect 3D Explorer.
FreetoolOnline editorial team
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