<p>Short answer: No.</p>
<p>Long Answer: Ha, no.</p>
<p>The solar sunspot cycle (~11 yr) affects a <em>significant fraction of the photosphere</em>, to greater and lesser amounts, and it’s a peak-to-valley difference of significantly less than one percent in Watt/m2. You think a flare, which is stochastic in time <em>and radial vector</em>, will be relevant? The overwhelming number of flares will be heading in the wrong way, even assuming a 2D Solar System …and the Solar System is 3D.</p>
<p>The Yarkovsky Effect is barely out of the noise for our finest instruments, integrating over <em>years</em>. <em>YEARS</em>, and only on the favorable asteroid targets. And that’s an effect of sunlight, CONTINUOUS sunlight. At all times, in all vectors. In all 3 dimensions.</p>
<p>And as for the notion of the interplanetary medium somehow increasing, ha, no. That’s a fundamental ignorance of space. Space above, say, 2000 km is a harder vacuum than the hardest vacuum ever drawn by our civilization. Heck, the <em>coma of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko</em> was still <em>cleaner than a standard cleanroom</em>. Humans simply do not have a comprehension of just how empty ‘the void’ is, since we live out our lives in the terrestrial existence. It is the burden of a scientist to <em>un-burden</em> their mind with such default, Earthly, human assumptions and preconceptions. SPACE IS NOT EARTH, and it’s inhuman, and humans think highly of their own minds.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-07T13:04:14.680Z
2022-09-07T13:04:14.680Z
caInstrument
<p>I've read that in advanced trajectory calculations, sunlight is even taken into account. Does this also apply to transient events like solar flares?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-03T20:14:45.243Z
*Great question!* Mostly unrelated; solar flares heat the atmosphere's of planets and increase atmospheric drag on things passing nearby. This is a big concern for [artificial satellites in Earth orbit](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/solar-flares) but that's not what you're asking about. This effect is going to be really really really small and someone might add an unsourced "No." answer based on that alone, but I suppose once could estimate both the radial force and frictional drag of the increased interplanetary medium and show just how small it is.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-03T20:21:55.827Z
related: [Directionality of solar flares](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/44004/7982) and [Strength of the relationship between very large solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and solar proton events?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/44716/7982) and [What are the main differences between solar flares and coronal mass ejections?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/87/7982) and [Possible Safe Areas In a Solar Flare](https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/258074/83380)
uhoh
<asteroids><orbital-mechanics><solar-flare>
Do solar flares have a noticeable effect on asteroid orbits?
2080
# Do solar flares have a noticeable effect on asteroid orbits?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-02)

I've read that in advanced trajectory calculations, sunlight is even taken into account. Does this also apply to transient events like solar flares?

**Tags:** asteroids, orbital-mechanics, solar-flare

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: *Great question!* Mostly unrelated; solar flares heat the atmosphere's of planets and increase atmospheric drag on things passing nearby. This is a big concern for [artificial satellites in Earth orbit](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/solar-flares) but that's not what you're asking about. This effect is going to be really really really small and someone might add an unsourced "No." answer based on that alone, but I suppose once could estimate both the radial force and frictional drag of the increased interplanetary medium and show just how small it is.  
> **username_1**: related: [Directionality of solar flares](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/44004/7982) and [Strength of the relationship between very large solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and solar proton events?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/44716/7982) and [What are the main differences between solar flares and coronal mass ejections?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/87/7982) and [Possible Safe Areas In a Solar Flare](https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/258074/83380)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-09-07. Score: 1

Short answer: No.

Long Answer: Ha, no.

The solar sunspot cycle (~11 yr) affects a *significant fraction of the photosphere*, to greater and lesser amounts, and it’s a peak-to-valley difference of significantly less than one percent in Watt/m2. You think a flare, which is stochastic in time *and radial vector*, will be relevant? The overwhelming number of flares will be heading in the wrong way, even assuming a 2D Solar System …and the Solar System is 3D.

The Yarkovsky Effect is barely out of the noise for our finest instruments, integrating over *years*. *YEARS*, and only on the favorable asteroid targets. And that’s an effect of sunlight, CONTINUOUS sunlight. At all times, in all vectors. In all 3 dimensions.

And as for the notion of the interplanetary medium somehow increasing, ha, no. That’s a fundamental ignorance of space. Space above, say, 2000 km is a harder vacuum than the hardest vacuum ever drawn by our civilization. Heck, the *coma of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko* was still *cleaner than a standard cleanroom*. Humans simply do not have a comprehension of just how empty ‘the void’ is, since we live out our lives in the terrestrial existence. It is the burden of a scientist to *un-burden* their mind with such default, Earthly, human assumptions and preconceptions. SPACE IS NOT EARTH, and it’s inhuman, and humans think highly of their own minds.


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