Pan (moon)
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Mark R. Showalter |
| Discovered in | 1990 | Orbital characteristics |
| Semimajor axis | 133,583 km |
| Eccentricity | 0 |
| Orbital period | 13h 48m |
| Inclination | 0° |
| Is a satellite of | Saturn |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mean radius | 10 km |
| Mass | 2.7×1015 kg |
| Mean density | 0.6 g/cm3 |
| Surface gravity | 0.002m/s2 |
| >Rotation period | unknown |
| Axial tilt | 0° |
| Albedo | 0.5 |
| Atmosphere | none |
Pan is a moon of Saturn, named after the god Pan. It was discovered by Mark R. Showalter in 1990 from analysis of old Voyager probe photos. Pan is within the Encke Division in Saturn's A ring; it acts as a shepherd and is responsible for keeping the Encke gap open. Its gravity produces wave patterns in the rings that indicated Pan's presence and led to the reexamination of Voyager photographs of its predicted location. Other undiscovered moons may exist within Saturn's rings.
