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Free-fall F26

From Li & Liao (2019)

Free-fall F26 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 10.022 time units, published by Li & Liao (2019). Three bodies released from rest fall together, swing past each other and return to rest exactly where they started. It is unstable (largest Floquet multiplier 32437), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0000583 of each other at a top speed of 131, line up 80 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.3×10⁻²³.

Measured over one period

Period: 10.02172901
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.63972
Angular momentum: 0
Closest approach: 5.8×10⁻⁵
Top speed: 131.0
Path length: 37.014
Alignments per period: 80
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 32437)
Loop closure: 1.3×10⁻²³

Neighbours on the map

All Free-fall orbits, the families of periodic three-body orbits, or the atlas map.