Pandora’s provisional designation was S/1980 S 26 when Voyager 1 discovered Saturn’s moon in 1980.
The designation records the discovery year, the planet’s initial letter, and the catalog sequence used for satellites identified around Saturn. Voyager 1 images revealed Pandora during the spacecraft’s encounter with the Saturn system, after which the moon received its permanent mythological name.
Pandora is a small, irregular satellite that orbits near Saturn’s F ring. Its gravitational interaction with Prometheus affects the ring’s structure, making the moon scientifically important despite its modest size.
The designation is easy to confuse with the names of nearby moons or with later catalog numbers. Pandora and Prometheus were both identified in the Voyager era, but they are distinct satellites with separate provisional designations.