Machine Learning applied to asteroid dynamics

TL;DR

This paper reviews the application of machine learning techniques to asteroid dynamics, highlighting its emerging status, recent uses in identifying asteroid families and resonances, and future potential with upcoming large datasets.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive classification of ML applications in asteroid dynamics and compares its development stage to other astronomical subfields.

Findings

ML used to identify asteroid families and resonances

Asteroid ML applications are in the emerging phase

Large surveys will enhance ML applications in asteroid studies

Abstract

Machine Learning (ML) is the branch of computer science that studies computer algorithms that can learn from data. It is mainly divided into supervised learning, where the computer is presented with examples of entries, and the goal is to learn a general rule that maps inputs to outputs, and unsupervised learning, where no label is provided to the learning algorithm, leaving it alone to find structures. Deep learning is a branch of machine learning based on numerous layers of artificial neural networks, which are computing systems inspired by the biological neural networks that constitute animal brains. In asteroid dynamics, machine learning methods have been recently used to identify members of asteroid families, and to identify resonant arguments images of asteroids in three-body resonances, among other applications. Here, we will conduct a review of available literature in the field, and classify it in terms of metrics recently used by other authors to assess the state of the art of applications of machine learning in other astronomical subfields. For comparison, applications of machine learning to Solar System bodies, a larger area that includes imaging and spectrophotometry of small bodies, have already reached a state classified as progressing. Research communities and methodologies are more established, and the use of ML led to the discovery of new celestial objects or features. ML applied to asteroid dynamics, however, is still in the emerging phase, with smaller groups, and fewer papers producing discoveries. Large observational surveys, like those conducted at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, will produce very substantial datasets of orbital and physical properties for asteroids. Applications of ML for clustering, image identification, and anomaly detection, among others, are currently being developed and are expected of being of great help.