Saturn’s F ring is shepherded on its outer side by the moon Pandora. Pandora’s gravity helps confine the ring’s narrow, clumpy material, while the moon Prometheus shepherds it from the inner side.
The F ring is one of Saturn’s narrowest and most structurally complex rings. It lies outside the main A ring and contains braided strands, kinks, and small disturbances caused by the gravitational interactions of the shepherd moons. The ring’s changing appearance became especially clear through spacecraft observations.
Pandora and Prometheus are irregular, small satellites rather than large spherical moons like Titan or Rhea. Their orbital interactions with the F ring demonstrate how moons can sculpt ring systems. “Shepherd” is a technical metaphor: the moons do not physically herd particles like animals, but their gravity influences where ring material can remain.
The F ring is often confused with Saturn’s much broader A ring, which is more prominent in amateur views. Pandora’s defining ring connection is specifically the narrow F ring.