Voyager 1 discovered Pandora, one of Saturn’s moons, in 1980.
Pandora is a small outer shepherd moon of Saturn’s F ring. Scientists Richard J. Terrile and Bradford A. Smith identified it in images returned by Voyager 1. The spacecraft made its closest approach to Saturn in November 1980, during the mission’s historic outer-planet encounter.
The moon was named after Pandora, the figure from Greek mythology. Its role as a shepherd moon reflects its gravitational relationship with Saturn’s rings, although Prometheus is the more prominent partner associated with the F ring’s structure. Pandora’s irregular, cratered appearance was later examined in greater detail by the Cassini mission.
This moon is not the asteroid Pandora, which has a different designation and history. Saturn’s Pandora is also distinct from the mythological figure and from fictional works using the name. The discovery year is securely tied to Voyager 1’s Saturn observations.