Atlas128 of 3,942

Butterfly IVb.14.A

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

Butterfly IVb.14.A is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 55.529 time units, published by Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). A second butterfly sequence with a different topology from class I. It is linearly stable (largest Floquet multiplier 1.000), so a small nudge only makes it wobble. The bodies pass within 0.000391 of each other at a top speed of 50.6, line up 100 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.8×10⁻¹⁵.

Measured over one period

Period: 55.52889758
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -1.89029
Angular momentum: 0
Closest approach: 3.9×10⁻⁴
Top speed: 50.59
Path length: 145.88
Alignments per period: 100
Topology: ababABAbabaBABababABABabaBABAbabaBABababABAbabaBABAbabABAB (free-group class)
Stability: stable (|λ|max 1.000)
Loop closure: 1.8×10⁻¹⁵

Neighbours on the map

All Butterfly IVb orbits, the families of periodic three-body orbits, or the atlas map.