shepherd moons
Gap-carving satellite pair
Shepherd moons are small natural satellites that orbit near the edges of planetary rings, their gravitational pull keeping ring particles confined in narrow bands.
Saturn's moons Prometheus and Pandora shepherd the F ring, one on each side.
Without these moons, ring material would gradually spread and disperse.
The term comes from the way shepherds keep flocks from straying.
- moonletsSmall natural satellites
- orbitsCurved paths around bodies
- astronomyScience of celestial objects
- ring systemDebris disk around planet
- satellitesBodies circling larger ones
Pandora · Prometheus · Ophelia · Cordelia · Cassini Division · space exploration · sculpting · ringlets · tidal forces · planetary rings · Pan · gaps · confinement · gravitational · gravitational pull · dynamic equilibrium · tiny · icy
- SaturnSaturn, rings, Titan, Enceladus, Tethys
- Saturn explorationCassini, Voyager 1, Voyager 2
- planetary featuresvolcano, mountain, crater, canyon, cliff
- planetary ringsD ring, Saturn rings, ring system, planetary ring, inner ring