Atlas119 of 3,942

Moth IVa.14.B

From Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). Sequences of orbits from the Belgrade three-body gallery.

Moth IVa.14.B is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 96.42 time units, published by Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). Broad, fringed wings built from many overlapping passes. It is unstable (largest Floquet multiplier 292.5), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.00616 of each other at a top speed of 12.8, line up 88 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 4.1×10⁻²⁶.

Measured over one period

Period: 96.42041273
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -1.25289
Angular momentum: 0
Closest approach: 0.006156
Top speed: 12.75
Path length: 243.73
Alignments per period: 88
Topology: abaBAbaBAbaBAbaBAbaBAbaBAbaBAbabABabABabABabABabABabABabAB (free-group class)
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 292.5)
Loop closure: 4.1×10⁻²⁶

Neighbours on the map

All Moth IVa orbits, the families of periodic three-body orbits, or the atlas map.