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Choreography SC.18

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.18 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 5.6058 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 3.8182e+21), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.127 of each other at a top speed of 2.87, line up 24 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.3×10⁻²⁷.

Measured over one period

Period: 5.605832391
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 1.1100
Closest approach: 0.1265
Top speed: 2.872
Path length: 26.281
Alignments per period: 24
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 3.8×10²¹)
Loop closure: 1.3×10⁻²⁷

Neighbours on the map

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