Atlas190 of 3,942

Moth VIIb.7.B

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

Moth VIIb.7.B is a periodic orbit of the planar three-body problem: three equal masses that return to their starting positions and velocities every 44.931 time units, published by Šuvakov & Dmitrašinović (2013). Related moths with a different winding of the outer lobes. It is unstable (largest Floquet multiplier 154.9), so a small nudge makes it unravel over a few periods. The bodies pass within 0.00339 of each other at a top speed of 17.2, line up 46 times a period, and the computed loop closes to 1.4×10⁻²⁵.

Measured over one period

Period: 44.93079350
Masses: 1 : 1 : 1
Energy: -1.32705
Angular momentum: 0
Closest approach: 0.003393
Top speed: 17.23
Path length: 107.77
Alignments per period: 46
Topology: ababABAbaBABabaBAbabABAbaBAB (free-group class)
Stability: unstable (|λ|max 154.9)
Loop closure: 1.4×10⁻²⁵

Neighbours on the map

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