What is the scientific name of asteroid 55 Pandora?

The scientific name of asteroid 55 Pandora is 55 Pandora. It is a main-belt asteroid discovered by the German astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt on September 10, 1858, from his observatory in Paris.

The asteroid was named after Pandora from Greek mythology. Its designation combines the number assigned in the sequence of asteroid discoveries with its proper name, producing the standard form 55 Pandora. It is not the same object as Pandora, one of Saturn’s small moons, which has a different astronomical designation.

55 Pandora is classified as an S-type asteroid, a broad category generally associated with stony or silicate-rich composition. It travels around the Sun in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroid numbers are historical discovery identifiers, not rankings of size or importance. This is why “55” does not mean that Pandora is the fifty-fifth largest asteroid. The name links the object to mythology, while its numerical designation distinguishes it from other celestial bodies called Pandora.