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How fast would an object need to travel to escape Saturnās gravity?
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Saturn
Saturn and its spectacular rings, in a natural-color composite of 126 images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on October 6, 2004. The view is directed toward Saturn's southern hemisphere, which is tipped toward the Sun. Shadows cast by the rings are visible against the bluish northern hemisphere, while the planet's shadow is projected on the rings to the left.
To escape Saturnās gravitational attraction, an object must reach a specific escape velocity. Because Saturn is a gas giant without a solid surface, this value is calculated at the level where the atmospheric pressure is one bar.
At Saturn's equator, the escape velocity is approximately 35.5 km per second (about 80,000 miles per hour). Due to the planet's significant oblatenessābeing flattened at the polesāthe escape velocity varies depending on the location:1
- Equatorial escape velocity: 35.5 km/sec1
- Polar escape velocity: 37.4 km/sec1
This high escape velocity is a primary reason why Saturn has been able to retain its massive atmosphere since its formation.1