Pandora is a natural satellite of Saturn in the Solar System. It is a small, irregularly shaped moon that orbits near Saturn’s narrow F ring and helps influence the ring’s structure.
The moon was discovered in photographs taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft during its 1980 encounter with Saturn. Astronomers initially gave it the provisional designation S/1980 S 26 before it received the name Pandora, after the figure from Greek mythology. Its official Roman-numeral designation is Saturn XVII.
Pandora is classified as a shepherd satellite because its gravity helps confine or shape nearby ring material. It works alongside the moon Prometheus, which orbits on the other side of the F ring. Their gravitational interactions contribute to the ring’s braided and kinked appearance.
Pandora is much smaller than Saturn’s major moons and has a low-density, irregular body. It should not be confused with Saturn’s moon Pan, another small ring-associated satellite, or with the asteroid 55 Pandora, which is a separate object orbiting the Sun.