Atlas197 of 3,942

Moth VIIb.17.A

From Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). Sequences of orbits from the Belgrade three-body gallery.

Moth VIIb.17.A is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 74.789 time units, published by Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). Related moths with a different winding of the outer lobes. It is weakly unstable (largest Floquet multiplier 1.003), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.00137 of each other at a top speed of 27, line up 114 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 8.4×10⁻²⁷.

Measured over one period

Period: 74.78921110
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -1.71577
Angular momentum: 0
Closest approach: 0.001369
Top speed: 27.03
Path length: 199.16
Alignments per period: 114
Topology: ababABAbabABAbabABAbabABAbabABAbabABABabaBABabaBABabaBABabaBABabaBAB (free-group class)
Stability: weakly unstable (|λ|max 1.003)
Loop closure: 8.4×10⁻²⁷

Neighbours on the map

All Moth VIIb orbits, the families of periodic three-body orbits, or the atlas map.