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Choreography SC.266

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.266 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 16.128 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 25491), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0179 of each other at a top speed of 8.21, line up 78 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.5×10⁻²⁴.

Measured over one period

Period: 16.12809787
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 0.98862
Closest approach: 0.01791
Top speed: 8.205
Path length: 73.111
Alignments per period: 78
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 2.5×10¹⁹)
Loop closure: 1.5×10⁻²⁴

Neighbours on the map

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