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Choreography SC.199

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.199 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 14.244 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 1935), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.101 of each other at a top speed of 3.43, line up 90 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.8×10⁻²⁸.

Measured over one period

Period: 14.24431752
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 1.0700
Closest approach: 0.1010
Top speed: 3.429
Path length: 68.423
Alignments per period: 90
Topology: (aaaaaaabAbAbAbAbAbAbABBBBBBB)² (free-group class, read from the drawing)
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 1.9×10⁹)
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.