You're aware this is an astronomy PhD student that you're saying this to, right? And you're only partially correct. Most of these photos weren't even taken in the visible spectrum, so of course they're not this color IRL because if they were their IRL color from the photos they'd be invisible.

Next solar eclipse is about go CRAZY YOU 🤪🫨🔥💯

I think the simulation ends either on collision or after the bodies exceed a certain distance, because three-body motion (even aperiodic) isn't guaranteed to result in a collision, it's possible that the bodies settle into a paired asymptomatic Kepler and the remaining body is ejected, as seen here.