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Prometheus

The shepherd moons of the F-ring, Prometheus and Pandora were discovered during the Voyager mission. The moons are small - Prometheus is 102 kilometers across and Pandora is slightly smaller. Prometheus maintains the inner edge of the F-ring and Pandora patrols its outer edge.

These taken by Cassini in 2004 show that:

  • the F-ring is multi-stranded and kinked
  • Prometheus has an oblong, potato-like shape. (Higher resolution images are hoped for later in the mission.)
  • A faint strand of material appears to connect Prometheus to the ringlets. Scientists speculate that the moon is gravitationally pulling material away from the F-ring. Discontinuities, kinks and gaps in the strands at various places around the ring may be caused by Prometheus.

April 2005


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Source: NASA Planetary Photo Journal