The astronomical designation of the main-belt asteroid named Pandora is 55 Pandora. It is a relatively large asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was named after Pandora from Greek mythology.
English astronomer George Mary Searle discovered 55 Pandora from the United States Naval Observatory in 1858. The number 55 records its position in the sequence of minor planets receiving permanent numerical designations. Asteroid names and numbers are separate identifiers: “Pandora” is the name, while “55” is the official sequence number.
This object should not be confused with Pandora, a small moon of Saturn, which received the same mythological name. The asteroid and the moon are different bodies in different regions of the Solar System and have separate discovery histories.