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Online Astronomy eText: Satellites (Moons)
The Satellites (Moons) of Saturn: Pandora
(mostly written in 2004, before the Cassini spacecraft reached Saturn)


Pandora, as seen by Voyager 2 in 1981


Pandora, as photographed by the Cassini spacecraft, in 2005
(Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA, apod051123)

Data for Pandora

Discovered by S.Collins and others in 1980, from Voyager 1 photographs
Named after the first woman, the wife of Epimetheus
Orbital size 141,700 km (about 88,000 miles) (just outside F ring)
Orbital eccentricity 0%
Orbital inclination 0 degrees
Orbital period 15.0 hours
Diameter about 110 x 90 x 60 km (about 68 x 55 x 39 miles) (quite irregular)
Mass, density and surface gravity quite uncertain
Albedo (reflectivity) 90%
Outer of two shepherd moons (other Prometheus) which control F ring
Counter