Pandora, the small moon orbiting Saturn, has the astronomical designation Saturn XVII.
Pandora was discovered in 1980 from photographs taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. It is an irregular satellite associated with Saturn’s narrow F Ring, where its gravity helps influence the ring’s structure. Pandora is one of the so-called shepherd satellites, alongside the nearby moon Prometheus.
The designation Saturn XVII reflects its place in the traditional numbering of Saturn’s satellites, not the order in which moons were discovered. Pandora’s orbit lies outside the F Ring, while Prometheus orbits inside it. The two moons exert gravitational effects that help confine and shape the ring. Pandora is small and irregularly shaped, and its surface is covered with impact features. Its mythological name follows the convention of giving many planetary satellites names drawn from classical literature.