# Pan

Saturn XVIII - 1990S18, 1981S13

Pan, the innermost known satellite, was found from photographs taken by Voyager during its encounter with Saturn. It was discovered by Mark R. Showalter in 1990, 9 years after the Voyager encounter. Pan is located 133,583 kilometers from the center of Saturn and is within the Encke Gap of Saturn's A-ring. It acts as a shepherd and is responsible for keeping the Encke gap open. It has a diameter of 20 kilometers.

## Pan Statistics

    Discovered by ............................. Mark R. Showalter
    Date of discovery ...................................... 1990

    Mass (kg) ................................................. ?
    Equatorial radius (km) ................................ 9.655
    Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) .................... 1.5138e-03
    Mean density (gm/cm^3) .................................... ?

    Mean distance from Saturn (km) ...................... 133,583
    Rotational period (days) .................................. ?
    Orbital period (days) ................................ 0.5750
    Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) ........................ 16.90

    Orbital eccentricity ................................... 0.00
    Orbital inclination ..................................... 0.0°

    Visual geometric albedo ................................. 0.5
    Magnitude (Vo) ............................................ ?

## Views of Pan

Pan (GIF)
This image shows the small moolet Pan located within the Saturn's Encke gap. The contrast has been enhanced and the image has been sharpened. (Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton)

Pan Within Encke Gap (GIF)
This is the highest resolution image of Pan from the Voyager data. This image shows the A ring entering Saturn's shadow. Pan is located in the center of the small box within the Encke gap. Pan is shown enlarged and enhanced in the inset box. (Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton)

## References

Showalter, Mark R., "Visual detection of 1981S13, Saturn's eighteenth satellite, and its role in the Encke gap," Nature, Vol. 351, 27 June 1991, 709-713.

Saturn Atlas

##### Author: Calvin J. Hamilton.