Asteroid 55 Pandora is the asteroid numbered 55 and named for the Greek mythological figure Pandora.
The asteroid was discovered by George Mary Searle on September 10, 1858, at the Albany Observatory in New York. It belongs to the main asteroid belt, the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most known asteroids travel.
Its designation combines a number with a mythological name: 55 indicates its order in the sequence of numbered asteroid discoveries, while Pandora is the chosen name. Astronomical naming often draws on mythology, literature, and historical figures, creating names that are memorable but not necessarily descriptive of an object’s physical appearance.
This asteroid is separate from Pandora, a small moon of Saturn. The asteroid and moon share a mythological name but are different bodies in different parts of the Solar System.