What is the scientific designation of Pandora, one of Saturn’s small moons?

The scientific designation of Pandora, one of Saturn’s small moons, is Saturn XVII.

Pandora is an irregular satellite of Saturn discovered in images taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. It was identified in 1980, the same era in which Voyager observations greatly expanded knowledge of Saturn’s rings and moons. The moon is associated with the planet’s F ring and acts as one of the ring’s shepherd satellites.

Pandora’s designation reflects its position in the traditional Roman-numeral sequence of Saturn’s moons, not the order in which every moon was discovered. It is also called S/1980 S 26 in its provisional discovery designation. The moon received the name Pandora from the figure in Greek mythology.

Pandora is small and irregularly shaped, with a surface marked by impact craters. It is sometimes discussed alongside Prometheus, another small moon that helps influence Saturn’s F ring. The mythological name and the astronomical designation are separate facts, so “Saturn XVII” is the precise answer to the question.