Pandora (satellite)

Pandora is a satellite of Saturn discovered in 1980 by the Voyager 1 probe. Physically it is a body very similar to the nearby Prometheus. Pandora's name comes from the first woman in Greek mythology. Along with Prometheus, both are shepherd satellites of Saturn's outer ring, the F Ring.

Pandora was discovered along with Prometheus in the mid-1980s by the Voyager 1 imaging team. Its temporary name was S/1980 S 26. International Astronomical Union (IAU) circular IAUC 3532 announced the discovery of these two satellites on October 25, 1980.

Pandora is more cratered than Prometheus and has at least two 30 km diameter craters but no significant high ground or valleys. Given its low density and high albedo, it appears that Pandora is a porous icy body. Due to the few present observations of these two objects much of this data remains to be confirmed.