Atlas188 of 3,942

Moth VIIb.4.A

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

Moth VIIb.4.A is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 26.919 time units, published by Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). Related moths with a different winding of the outer lobes. It is unstable (largest Floquet multiplier 56.94), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.0619 of each other at a top speed of 4.06, line up 26 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.0×10⁻²⁸.

Measured over one period

Period: 26.91866687
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -1.28203
Angular momentum: 0
Closest approach: 0.06187
Top speed: 4.058
Path length: 64.177
Alignments per period: 26
Topology: abaBAbabABAbaBAB (free-group class)
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 56.94)
Loop closure: 1.0×10⁻²⁸

Neighbours on the map

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