Discovery of Pan

Pan is a small moon of Saturn that orbits within the Encke Gap, a narrow division in the planet's A ring. It was discovered by Mark Showalter in 1990 after he examined images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in August 1981, which is the date shown here. Its gravity keeps the gap clear of ring particles, making it a shepherd moon. Pan has an unusual shape, with a thick equatorial ridge of ring material that gives it a look sometimes compared to a ravioli or a walnut. The Cassini spacecraft later imaged it in detail. It is named after Pan, the Greek god of shepherds and the wild.

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