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Prometheus, Pandora and Saturn's F Ring

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 23, 1995
Prometheus, Pandora and Saturn's F Ring
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via NASA APOD
◆ What you're looking at
The third and fourth innermost moons of Saturn were unexpectedly discovered to be gravitational "shepards." The inner moon Prometheus and the outer moon Pandora use their gravitational attraction to define Saturn's outermost ring. Were any of the smaller chunks of ice and rock that compose Saturn's F Ring to stray, the ring particle would be gravitationally pulled back into place by one of these passing moons. This complex interaction creates a ring structure with two narrow braids and several unusual knots.