Pandora is the moon that orbits just outside Saturn’s narrow F ring and helps shepherd it with Prometheus.
Pandora and Prometheus are small inner moons of Saturn whose gravitational effects influence the F ring. Prometheus orbits inside the ring, while Pandora travels just outside it. Their combined gravitational interactions help keep the ring’s particles confined and produce changing structures within the ring.
This relationship is why the two moons are called shepherd satellites. The term does not mean that the moons physically sweep particles like solid barriers; instead, their gravity alters particle orbits and helps maintain the ring’s narrow shape.
Pandora was discovered by Voyager 1 in 1980, while Prometheus was discovered in images from Voyager 1 as well. The names come from Greek mythology, where Pandora and Prometheus are linked through the myth of fire and humanity’s troubles.