Pandora is the Saturnian moon named after the mythological figure and associated with the planet’s F ring.
Pandora is an inner moon of Saturn and acts as one of the gravitational shepherd satellites of the narrow F ring, alongside the moon Prometheus. Their gravity helps influence and confine the ring’s material, although the ring has a complex and changing structure rather than a perfectly fixed boundary.
Voyager 1 images led to Pandora’s discovery in 1980. The moon was initially designated S/1980 S 26 before receiving its mythological name. It is an irregularly shaped body with a bright, cratered surface and a relatively low density.
Pandora is often confused with Prometheus because the two moons work together around the F ring and share imagery in astronomy articles. Pandora is the outer shepherd of the pair, while Prometheus is the inner shepherd.