page_title: Pan (moon)
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Pan (moon) / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Saturn's moon Pan, photographed by the Cassini space probe from an angle that illustrate its thin equatorial ridge. Date taken: March 7, 2017.
context_page_description: Pan is the innermost named moon of Saturn. It is a small, walnut-shaped moon approximately 35 kilometres across and 23 km wide that orbits within the Encke Gap in Saturn's A Ring. Pan is a ring shepherd and is responsible for keeping the Encke Gap free of ring particles. It is sometimes described as having the appearance of a ravioli.
  It was discovered by Mark R. Showalter in 1990 from analysis of old Voyager 2 probe photos and received the provisional designation S/1981 S 13 because the discovery images dated back to 1981.
context_section_description: Cassini scientists have described Pan as "walnut-shaped" owing to the equatorial ridge, similar to that on Atlas, that is visible in images. The ridge is due to ring material that Pan has swept up from the Encke gap. It has also been referred to by journalists as a space empanada, a form of stuffed bread or pastry, as well as a ravioli.
caption: Pan, photographed by Cassini on March 7, 2017. The thin equatorial ridge is clearly visible.
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