Pandora is the Saturn moon named after the mythological Pandora associated with the famous jar. It is a small outer satellite of Saturn and acts as one of the shepherd moons connected with the planet’s narrow F ring.
The moon was discovered in photographs taken by Voyager 1 in 1980. It was later named Pandora, following the convention of giving several Saturnian satellites names from Greek and Roman mythology. Its companion shepherd moon, Prometheus, was named after Pandora’s mythological benefactor and the Titan who stole fire.
Pandora’s irregular, elongated shape and low density distinguish it from Saturn’s much larger spherical moons. Its gravitational influence helps confine material near the F ring, although the ring’s structure is also affected by Prometheus and other dynamical processes.
This astronomical Pandora is not the setting of the myth. The shared name is commemorative: the moon’s name refers to the mythological figure, while the moon itself is a small icy body orbiting Saturn.