# Non-gravitational acceleration · Concept

> A push on a body in orbit that gravity alone does not account for.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/concepts/CPT0DECW031ZQ1N/non-gravitational-acceleration  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Concepts](https://mysteriesdept.com/concepts)Non-gravitational acceleration

Concept · astronomy · in 1 mystery

# Non-gravitational acceleration

A push on a body in orbit that gravity alone does not account for.

[1I/'Oumuamua](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/oumuamua)

A small acceleration, measured by tracking a body's path, that remains after the pull of the Sun and planets is subtracted. Comets show it because sunlight boils gas off them and the gas pushes back. ʻOumuamua showed it without a visible tail, which is the heart of its mystery; the Earth flyby anomaly is a related unexplained push on spacecraft.

## Where it comes up

**[1I/'Oumuamua](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/oumuamua)**

Small near-Earth asteroids with no visible activity show non-gravitational accelerations too large for the Yarkovsky effect; more than a dozen dark comets are now known.

[Small near-Earth asteroids with no visible activity show non-gravitational accelerations too large for the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/oumuamua/evidence/EVD0CSKC1VE1VM1/small-near-earth-asteroids-with-no-visible-activity-show-non)

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Non-gravitational acceleration [Concept CPT0DECW031ZQ1N]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/CPT0DECW031ZQ1N
```

Key

**CPT** 0DECW031ZQ1N

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Concept

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Astronomy

Related

[Outgassing](https://mysteriesdept.com/concepts/CPT0DECW037EHK5/outgassing)

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Related concepts

[Outgassing](https://mysteriesdept.com/concepts/CPT0DECW037EHK5/outgassing)

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