What is escape velocity?

It is the minimum speed an object needs to break free from a body's gravity without further propulsion, ignoring air resistance.

What formula is used?

Escape velocity v = √(2GM / r), where G is the gravitational constant 6.6743×10⁻¹¹, M is mass in kg and r is radius in metres.

Does it depend on the mass of the object leaving?

No — escape velocity depends only on the mass and radius of the body you are escaping, not on the object leaving it. A pebble and a rocket need the same escape speed (ignoring air resistance and propulsion).

What is Earth's escape velocity?

About 11.2 km/s (roughly 40,300 km/h). The calculator returns this from Earth's mass 5.972×10²⁴ kg and radius 6.371×10⁶ m.

How do I enter mass and radius in scientific notation?

Type values like 5.972e24 for mass in kilograms and 6.371e6 for radius in metres. The e notation means times ten to that power, so 5.972e24 is 5.972×10²⁴.

Why is the Sun's escape velocity so high?

Escape velocity rises with mass and falls with radius. The Sun is enormously massive, so even at its large radius the escape speed is about 618 km/s — far greater than any planet's.

Does escape velocity account for air resistance?

No. The formula gives the ideal speed in a vacuum. In a real atmosphere a craft needs more energy and typically uses sustained thrust rather than a single instantaneous burst.

Escape Velocity Calculator

Escape velocity calculator

Escape velocity is the minimum speed an object needs to break free from a body’s gravity with no further thrust — the threshold at which kinetic energy equals gravitational potential energy. Crucially it depends only on the body you’re leaving, not on the object leaving it. This tool computes it for any planet, moon or star.

How it works

The calculator uses the standard formula v = √(2GM / r), where G is the gravitational constant 6.6743×10⁻¹¹ m³·kg⁻¹·s⁻², M is the body’s mass in kilograms and r is its radius in metres. Pick a preset to load real figures, or type your own values (scientific notation like 5.972e24 works). The result is shown in m/s, km/s and km/h. Because mass is inside a square root, doubling a body’s mass raises escape velocity by only about 41%.

Example

For Earth (M = 5.972×10²⁴ kg, r = 6.371×10⁶ m):

v = √(2 × 6.6743e-11 × 5.972e24 / 6.371e6) ≈ 11,186 m/s ≈ 11.2 km/s.

Body	Escape velocity
Moon	≈ 2.4 km/s
Mars	≈ 5.0 km/s
Earth	≈ 11.2 km/s
Jupiter	≈ 59.5 km/s
Sun	≈ 618 km/s

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