Radiative heating of carbonaceous near-Earth objects as a cause of thermal metamorphism for CK chondrites

► We studied thermal evolution of C-type NEOs with perihelia close to the Sun. ► Radiative heating can heat carbonaceous meteoroids at temperatures up to 1050 K. ► NEOs can be heated at metamorphic temperatures for thousands of years. ► Our results are consistent with CK metamorphic temperatures and durations. ► Radiative heating can be a secondary process affecting small fragments of asteroids.