Saturn's Rings: Roche Limit & Orbital Velocity (2D)

This 2D companion renders Saturn's A, B and C rings and the Cassini Division from a tunable viewing angle, from a top-down view straight down onto the ring plane to a near edge-on cross-section, with thousands of particles each orbiting at the real Kepler speed for its radius. Drag the distance slider to move a test body of adjustable composition through the ring system, and watch it survive, stretch, or shred into a debris trail as it crosses the Roche limit — the live readout reports orbital velocity in km/s, distance in Saturn radii, and whether the body sits inside or outside the limit at every moment.