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Pan, the innermost of Saturn's known moons, is located within the Encke Gap of Saturn's A-ring. It acts as a shepherd satellite and is responsible for keeping the Encke Gap open.
Pan creates stripes, called "wakes," in the ring material on either side of it. Since ring particles closer to Saturn than Pan move faster in their orbits, these particles pass the moon and receive a gravitational "kick" from Pan as they do. This kick causes waves to develop in the gap and also throughout the ring, extending hundreds of kilometers into the rings. These waves intersect downstream to create the wakes, places where ring material has bunched up in an orderly manner thanks to Pan's gravitational kick.
Pan, like Saturn's moon Atlas, has a prominent equatorial ridge that gives it a distinctive flying saucer shape.
How Pan Got Its Name
Moons of Saturn were originally named for Greco-Roman Titans and descendants of the Titans. But as many new moons were discovered scientists began selecting names from more mythologies, including Gallic, Inuit and Norse stories.
Pan, a satyr (a creature resembling a man with the hind legs and hooves of a goat), is a Greek god of nature and the forest.
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Flyby Dates |
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- No targeted flyby.
Closest approach: March 7, 2017 -- 25,230 kilometers (15,677 miles)
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Fast Facts |
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- Discovered in 1990 by the Voyager team (by reexamining photos taken nine years earlier near the predicted locations)
- Distance from Saturn: 133,583 km (83,005 miles)
- Period of Orbit around Saturn: 13.8 hours
- Diameter: 20 km (12.5 miles)
- Mass: 5 x 1015 kg (11 x 1015 lbs)
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Science Goals |
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- Determine general characteristics and geological history of Pan
- Define the different physical processes that created the surface of Pan
- Investigate composition and distribution of surface materials on Pan, particularly dark, organic-rich materials and condensed ice with low melting point
- Determine the bulk composition and internal structure of Pan
- Investigate interaction of Pan with Saturn's magnetosphere and ring system
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Saturn's Moons (sorted alphabetically) |
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