Pandora’s official provisional designation was S/1980 S 26.
The designation records the moon’s discovery year, planet, and sequence in the system of Saturn’s newly identified satellites. Voyager 1 images from 1980 revealed Pandora, and the designation was used before the moon received its mythological name. It is now known simply as Pandora.
Pandora’s naming follows the convention for Saturn’s moons to draw on figures associated with the mythology surrounding Saturn and related traditions. The moon is named after Pandora, the woman in Greek mythology who opened the container holding troubles.
The designation can be confused with S/1980 S 27, which was assigned to another Saturnian moon discovered in the same general period. Provisional designations are technical labels, while a later approved name is intended for ordinary scientific and public use.