Pandora (moon)
| |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Voyager 1 |
| Discovered in | 1980 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Semimajor axis | km |
| Eccentricity | 0.0042 |
| Revolution period | 15h 5m |
| Inclination | 0° |
| Is a satellite of | Saturn |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mean diameter | 83 km |
| Mass | 17 kilogram>kg |
| Mean density | 0.6 g/cm3 |
| Surface gravity | m/s2 |
| Rotation period | unknown |
| Axial tilt | 0° |
| Albedo | 0.6 |
| Atmosphere | none |
Pandora is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered in 1980 from Voyager photos, and was designated 1980 S 26. In 1985 it was officially named after Pandora from Greek mythology.
Pandora is the outer shepherd satellite of the F ring. It is more heavily cratered than nearby Prometheus, and has at least two large craters 30 km in diameter but shows no linear ridges or valleys.
From its very low density and relatively high albedo, it seems likely that Pandora is a very porous icy body. There is a lot of uncertainty in these values, however, and so this remains to be confirmed.
See also