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Choreography SC.280

From Simó (2001)

Choreography SC.280 is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 16.246 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 1.6751999999999998e+22), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0416 of each other at a top speed of 5.37, line up 48 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.6×10⁻²⁴.

Measured over one period

Period: 16.24580201
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -4.50000
Angular momentum: 1.0145
Closest approach: 0.04163
Top speed: 5.365
Path length: 78.564
Alignments per period: 48
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 1.7×10²²)
Loop closure: 1.6×10⁻²⁴

Neighbours on the map

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