In astronomy, Saturn’s moon Pandora was discovered in 1980.
Voyager 1 images revealed Pandora in October 1980. The discovery came during the spacecraft’s historic encounter with Saturn, when Voyager 1 photographed the planet, its rings, and several moons. Pandora was initially identified in images as a small satellite near Saturn’s F ring.
Pandora is an irregular, heavily cratered moon with a mean radius of roughly 40 kilometres. It travels outside the F ring and, together with Prometheus, influences the ring’s narrow and dynamic structure. Its name follows a mythological naming tradition: Pandora was named after the figure from Greek mythology.
The date is sometimes confused with other Voyager discoveries or with the later discovery of additional small Saturnian moons. Voyager 1’s Saturn encounter occurred in 1980, while Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Saturn in 1981. Pandora’s discovery is therefore specifically associated with Voyager 1’s 1980 observations.