In Avatar, Pandora is a moon orbiting which fictional planet?

In Avatar, Pandora is a moon orbiting the fictional planet Polyphemus. Pandora is the primary setting of James Cameron’s 2009 science-fiction film and its sequel stories.

Pandora is located in the Alpha Centauri star system, which is relatively close to Earth in astronomical terms. The moon has a breathable-looking but human-incompatible atmosphere, extraordinary biodiversity, floating mountains, and a planetary network that connects living organisms. Its environment supports the Na’vi, the tall blue humanoid inhabitants central to the story.

The name Pandora echoes the Greek mythological figure, but the film’s moon is not a literal adaptation of the ancient story. The connection is mainly thematic and nominal: Pandora contains extraordinary resources and wonders, while human exploitation produces dangerous consequences.

A common mix-up is to call Pandora a planet. In the Avatar setting, it is specifically a moon. Polyphemus is the gas giant around which Pandora travels, and the two bodies belong to a fictional planetary system rather than our Solar System.