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Choreography SC.278

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.278 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 16.211 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 1823), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0891 of each other at a top speed of 3.83, line up 66 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 6.6×10⁻²⁸.

Measured over one period

Period: 16.21091741
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 1.1022
Closest approach: 0.08914
Top speed: 3.826
Path length: 79.744
Alignments per period: 66
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 1.8×10¹⁷)
Loop closure: 6.6×10⁻²⁸

Neighbours on the map

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