Atlas: Saturn's Ring Shepherd

Saturn · moon · rings · space

Tiny Ring Guardian. Atlas is a small moon orbiting Saturn that was discovered in 1980 by looking at photos taken by the Voyager spacecraft. It's one of Saturn's inner moons, orbiting very close to the planet.

Named After a Titan. The moon was named after Atlas from Greek mythology because it holds Saturn's rings in place, just like Atlas the Titan held up the sky. It's as if the moon has the rings balanced on its shoulders.

Holds the Rings. Atlas plays a special job in space by keeping Saturn's famous rings organized and preventing them from spreading out too much. Scientists call moons that do this 'shepherd moons' because they herd the ring particles.

Discovered from Far Away. Astronomer Richard Terrile spotted Atlas by examining photographs sent back from Voyager 1 spacecraft when it visited Saturn. It was officially named Atlas in 1983, about three years after its discovery.