Relativity Precession of the Asteroid Icarus

Abstract

The relativity precession of the asteroid Icarus is computed to be 10.05″ per century. This value is about one-quarter that of Mercury and exceeds that of any major planet excluding Mercury. Consideration of a figure of merit, which determines the possible precision in measurement of the perihelion advance, indicates that the motion of Icarus can yield a further test of the precessional formula of general relativity.