Pandora is the Saturnian moon identified in photographs from the Voyager 1 mission and named after the mythological figure.
Voyager 1 images revealed Pandora in 1980, although the moon was formally recognized and reported after the spacecraft’s observations. Pandora is a small, irregular satellite that acts as an outer shepherd of Saturn’s narrow F ring.
Its name follows a convention in which many Saturnian moons receive names from mythology. Pandora’s neighboring shepherd moon Prometheus is named for the Titan associated with stealing fire, creating a mythological pairing that also reflects their orbital relationship with the F ring.
Pandora is not the only astronomical object carrying the name. The name has also been used for an asteroid and other fictional or cultural works, so the Saturn moon is best identified by its role as an F-ring shepherd.