Which gap in Saturn's rings is created by the moon Pan?

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The Encke Gap is the gap in Saturn’s rings created and maintained by the moon Pan.

Located within Saturn’s A ring, the Encke Gap is about 325 kilometers wide and lies roughly 133,590 kilometers from Saturn’s center. Pan orbits inside the gap and acts as a shepherd moon: its gravity deflects nearby ring particles, preventing them from rapidly filling the opening.

Pan’s presence also creates wakes and waves in the surrounding ring material. Cassini images showed that the gap is not completely empty; at least three thin, knotted ringlets run within it. One ringlet is associated with Pan’s orbit, while the moon’s gravity continually reshapes nearby particles.

The gap was discovered by James Edward Keeler in 1888, although it was named for Johann Encke because of his work observing Saturn’s rings. Pan itself was discovered much later, in 1990, by Mark Showalter through analysis of earlier Voyager 2 images. The narrower Keeler Gap is a separate opening near the outer edge of the A ring.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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