The Three-Body Problem

by

Liu Cixin

Tri-solar Syzygy Term Analysis

A tri-solar syzygy is an extremely rare event in which all three of Trisolaris’s suns line up with the planet itself. Because of the extreme heat emanating from the three suns, Trisolaris is immediately scorched, so no Trisolaran has ever lived to record the history of such an event. When Wang Miao plays the Three-Body game, he witnesses Civilization Number 183 get destroyed by a tri-solar syzygy—and Wang reflects that such days are “the most terrifying catastrophes of all.”
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Tri-solar Syzygy Term Timeline in The Three-Body Problem

The timeline below shows where the term Tri-solar Syzygy appears in The Three-Body Problem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 17. Three Body: Newton, Von Neumann, the First Emperor, and Tri-Solar Syzygy
History and Legacy Theme Icon
...Qin’s joy does not last long. His astronomy minister informs him that an extremely rare tri-solar syzygy is approaching, in which all three of the suns are in a straight line. The... (full context)