Pandora

Discovery
Discovered by	Collins, Voyager 1
Discovered in	October, 1980
Orbital characteristics
Semimajor axis	141,520 km
Eccentricity	0.0042
Revolution period	0.6285 d [1]
Inclination	0.007° (to Saturn's equator)
Is a satellite of	Saturn
Physical characteristics
Diameter	110×88×62 km
Mass	1.94×1017 kg
Mean density	0.6 g/cm3
Surface gravity	0.008 m/s2
Rotation period	synchronous
Axial tilt	zero
Albedo	0.6
Atmosphere	none

Pandora (pan-dor'-a, Greek Πανδώρα) 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. It is also designated as Saturn XVII. Pandora, Saturns moon. ... A NASA artists rendition of a Voyager spacecraft The Voyager 1 spacecraft is an 815-kilogram unmanned probe of the outer solar system and beyond, launched September 5, 1977, and currently operational. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity. ... In geometry, the semi-major axis (also semimajor axis) a applies to ellipses and hyperbolas. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... In astrodynamics, under standard assumptions any orbit must be of conic section shape. ... Inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit and is the angular distance of the orbital plane from the plane of the reference (usually planets equator or the ecliptic), stated in degrees. ... Moons of solar system scaled to Earths Moon The common noun moon (not capitalized) is used to mean any natural satellite of the other planets. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... For the geometric term, see diameter. ... Mass is a property of physical objects that, roughly speaking, measures the amount of matter they contain. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ... It has been suggested that Law of universal gravitation be merged into this article or section. ... Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity, and at any point on a v-t graph, it is given by the gradient of the tangent to that point In physics, acceleration (symbol: a) is defined as the rate of change (or time derivative) of velocity. ... In astronomy, synchronous rotation is a planetological term describing a body orbiting another, where the orbiting body takes as long to rotate on its axis as it does to make one orbit; and therefore always keeps the same hemisphere pointed at the body it is orbiting. ... Axial tilt is an astronomical term regarding the inclination angle of a planets rotational axis in relation to its orbital plane. ... The albedo is a measure of reflectivity of a surface or body. ... Atmosphere is the general name for a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass. ... Moons of solar system scaled to Earths Moon The common noun moon (not capitalized) is used to mean any natural satellite of the other planets. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Voyager spacecraft Launch of Voyager 2 Voyager is also the name of a planned series of unmanned probes to Mars, cancelled in 1968. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In Greek mythology, Pandora (all gifted) was the first woman, fashioned by Zeus as part of his punishment of mankind for having stolen the secret of fire. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected narratives of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ...

Pandora floating above the rings of Saturn as seen from the Cassini probe in 2005

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. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This is an artists concept of Cassini during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing. ... A planetary ring is a ring of dust and other small particles orbiting around a planet in a flat disc-shaped region. ... Close up view of Prometheus and the F Ring Categories: Astronomy stubs | Saturn ... Prometheus (proe-mee-thee-us, Greek Προμηθέας) is a moon of Saturn. ...

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, so this remains to be confirmed. The albedo is a measure of reflectivity of a surface or body. ...

There is also an asteroid called 55 Pandora. An asteroid is a small, solid object in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun. ... 55 Pandora is a quite large and very bright Main belt asteroid. ...

External links

• The Planetary Society: Pandora

S/2004 S 3 is the provisional designation of an unconfirmed moon of Saturn. ... Janus (jay-nus, Greek Ιανός) is a moon of Saturn. ... Epimetheus (ep-i-mee-thee-us, Greek Επιμηθεύς) is a moon of Saturn. ...