Pandora is the Saturn moon discovered by Voyager 1 in October 1980 that helps shepherd Saturn’s F ring. It is an irregularly shaped inner satellite located near the narrow, braided F ring, where its gravity influences ring particles.
Pandora is often discussed together with Prometheus, another small Saturnian moon. Prometheus orbits just inside the F ring, while Pandora orbits just outside it. Their combined gravitational effects help confine and structure the ring, leading to the description “shepherd moons.”
The moon should not be confused with the asteroid 55 Pandora or with the mythological woman. Voyager 1 images revealed Pandora during the spacecraft’s Saturn encounter, and the moon received its name from the Greek mythological figure. Its surface is heavily cratered and its dimensions are only a few dozen kilometers across.