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Choreography SC.17

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.17 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 5.5952 time units, published by Simó (2001). Carles Simó’s catalogue of three-body choreographies with nonzero angular momentum, the curves that made choreographies famous. All unstable except the figure-eight. It is unstable (largest Floquet multiplier 99471), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0821 of each other at a top speed of 3.44, line up 24 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 8.2×10⁻²⁸.

Measured over one period

Period: 5.595188595
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 0.95135
Closest approach: 0.08213
Top speed: 3.437
Path length: 26.221
Alignments per period: 24
Topology: 0 (free-group class, read from the drawing)
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 9.9×10¹⁷)
Loop closure: 8.2×10⁻²⁸

Neighbours on the map

All Simó’s choreographies, the families of periodic three-body orbits, or the atlas map.