The three-body problem is a famous challenge in astronomy and physics that involves predicting the motion of three celestial bodies-such as planets, stars, or moons-that interact with each other through gravity. Unlike the two- body problem, where the motion is predictable and stable, the three-body problem becomes chaotic and highly complex because each body exerts gravitational forces on the other two simultaneously, making long-term predictions nearly impossible
. In practical terms, this problem appears when trying to determine how three bodies move under their mutual gravitational attraction without any outside influence. The motion quickly becomes unpredictable and chaotic, with no general solution available. Some special cases have known solutions, like when the bodies form an equilateral triangle or when one body has negligible mass, but the general problem remains unsolved
. This scientific problem is the basis for the plot of the novel and Netflix series 3 Body Problem , where an alien civilization lives in a solar system with three suns. The gravitational interactions among the three stars cause their planet to experience extreme and chaotic environmental changes, making life unstable and forcing the aliens to seek a new home. The unpredictable orbits in their three-sun system embody the real three-body problem, illustrating the difficulty of predicting celestial motions in such complex systems
. In summary, the three-body problem is about the chaotic gravitational interactions among three celestial bodies, which defy simple prediction and have profound implications both in real astronomy and in science fiction storytelling.
