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Choreography SC.263

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.263 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 16.064 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 10643), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0245 of each other at a top speed of 6.99, line up 102 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.1×10⁻²³.

Measured over one period

Period: 16.06417881
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 1.0292
Closest approach: 0.02454
Top speed: 6.991
Path length: 71.414
Alignments per period: 102
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 1.1×10¹⁵)
Loop closure: 1.1×10⁻²³

Neighbours on the map

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