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Choreography SC.22

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.22 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 6.1057 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 47926), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.137 of each other at a top speed of 3.12, line up 18 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.8×10⁻²⁸.

Measured over one period

Period: 6.105697853
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 1.0454
Closest approach: 0.1370
Top speed: 3.121
Path length: 30.084
Alignments per period: 18
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 4.8×10¹⁷)
Loop closure: 1.8×10⁻²⁸

Neighbours on the map

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