The asteroid designation of Pandora, named after the Greek mythological figure, is 55 Pandora.
55 Pandora is a large main-belt asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. English astronomer George Mary Searle discovered it on September 10, 1858, at the Albany Observatory in New York. It became the 55th numbered minor planet after its orbit was sufficiently established, which explains the number in its designation.
The asteroid’s name refers to Pandora of Greek mythology. Astronomical names often draw from mythology, history, literature, or cultural traditions, so the name does not mean that the asteroid has a physical connection to the mythological vessel. Its scientific designation remains a number paired with the name: 55 Pandora.
Pandora is classified as an S-type asteroid, a category generally associated with stony compositions. It has also been studied through stellar occultations, events in which the asteroid briefly blocks a star’s light. Those observations help refine estimates of an asteroid’s size and shape.