Pandora is a moon of Saturn named after the mythological figure associated with Pandora’s Box. It is one of Saturn’s small outer moons and is closely associated with the planet’s narrow F ring.
The International Astronomical Union assigns mythological names to many planetary satellites. Saturn’s moons are commonly named for figures connected with Greco-Roman mythology, while Pandora’s name fits the tradition even though the moon itself has no connection to the moral story of the opened container.
Pandora was discovered in 1980 by Voyager 1 images. It acts as an outer shepherd satellite of Saturn’s F ring, working with the moon Prometheus, which lies on the ring’s inner side. Their gravitational effects help shape and confine the narrow ring structure.
This astronomical Pandora is therefore linked to the myth through naming, not through any physical or narrative relationship. The nearby moon Prometheus provides an additional mythological connection to the same story cycle.