Knowing more about how the Yarkovsky effect changes an asteroid's orbit will help scientists better predict whether RQ36 will come near Earth.

VOA: special.2011.06.22

It relies on a subtle phenomenon called the Yarkovsky effect (named after the Russian engineer who discovered it a century ago).

ECONOMIST: Celestial mechanics: A rock in a hard place | The

One of the chaotic things that happen to the paths taken by asteroids is caused by sunlight, and is known as the Yarkovsky effect.

ECONOMIST: Asteroid impacts: Baptistina's terrible daughters | The

To better predict the orbits of hazardous objects, this group is looking at the Yarkovsky effect, a force created when the asteroid absorbs sunlight and re-radiates it as heat.

CNN: So, about that asteroid near Earth ...