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Pan,in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of SaturnSaturn,
in astronomy, 6th planet from the sun. Astronomical and Physical Characteristics of Saturn
Saturn's orbit lies between those of Jupiter and Uranus; its mean distance from the sun is c.886 million mi (1.
..... Click the link for more information. . Also known as Saturn XVIII (or S18), Pan is 12.5 mi (20 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 83,000 mi (133,583 km), and has an orbital period of 0.575 earth days. The rotational period is unknown but is assumed to be the same as the orbital period. It was discovered by Mark R. Showalter at the Ames Research Center in California in 1990 while reviewing photographs taken by Voyager 1 during its flyby of Saturn in 1980. The innermost of Saturn's confirmed moons, Pan's orbit is within the Encke Division, or Encke Gap, of Saturn's A ring, where it functions as a shepherd satellite (a moon that limits the extent of a planetary ring through gravitational forces), keeping the gap open.
Pan(păn), in Greek religion and mythology, pastoral god of fertility. He was worshiped principally in ArcadiaArcadia
, region of ancient Greece, in the middle of the Peloponnesus, without a seaboard, and surrounded and dissected by mountains. The Arcadians, relatively isolated from the rest of the world, lived a proverbially simple and natural life.
..... Click the link for more information. , and one legend states that he was the son of HermesHermes,
in Greek religion and mythology, son of Zeus and Maia. His functions were many, but he was primarily the messenger of the gods, particularly of Zeus, and conductor of souls to Hades.
..... Click the link for more information. , another Arcadian god. Pan was supposed to make flocks fertile; when he did not, his image was flogged to stimulate him. He was depicted as a merry, ugly man with the horns, ears, and legs of a goat. Occasionally ill-tempered, he loved to frighten unwary travelers (hence the word panic). All his myths deal with amorous affairs. In a famous tale he pursued the nymph Syrinx, but before she was overtaken her sister nymphs changed her into a reed. Thus Pan plays the reed panpipes, or syrinx, in memory of her. Later, when Pan was worshiped in other parts of Greece and in Rome, he became associated with the Greek DionysusDionysus
, in Greek religion and mythology, god of fertility and wine. Legends concerning him are profuse and contradictory. However, he was one of the most important gods of the Greeks and was associated with various religious cults. He was probably in origin a Thracian deity.
..... Click the link for more information. and identified with the Roman FaunusFaunus
, in Roman religion, woodland deity, protector of herds and crops. He was identified with the Greek Pan. His festival was observed on Dec. 5 with dancing and merrymaking.
..... Click the link for more information. , both gods of fertility.
PanA small satellite of Saturn, discovered in 1990 from photographs taken by Voyager 2 in 1981. It is the closest satellite to Saturn so far known, orbiting within the Encke Division of Saturn's rings at a distance of 133 600 km from the center of the planet. It is a shepherd satellite, keeping the Encke Division open. See Table 2, backmatter.
Pan(religion, spiritualism, and occult)
Greek nature and fertility deity, rustic son of Hermes and Dryops' daughter, god of flocks and of shepherds and goatherds. He was said to be a native of Arcadia and was incorporated into the retinue of Dionysus. Pan is usually depicted as half man, half goat. He was the inventor of the Syrinx, or Pan-pipe, and was extremely musical, leading nymphs in dances.
Pan purportedly lived on the slopes of Mount Maenalus or Mount Lycaeus. He brought about good hunting and caused goats and ewes to multiply, hence his aspect as a phallic divinity. Disguising himself as a white ram, he seduced the moon goddess Selene.
in Greek mythology, the god of forests and fields, the patron of shepherds and hunters. Myths portray Pan as a merry god who roamed the mountains and forests in the company of nymphs, dancing and playing a pipe. The ancient Greeks pictured him as ugly and covered with hair, with the feet, beard, and tail of a goat. He inspired terror, hence the word “panic.”
What does it mean when you dream about a pan?
pan(1) To move a video or film camera horizontally across a scene. A horizontal scroll bar on an application window provides the same type of movement. See pan & scan and PTZ.
(2) (PAN) (Primary Account Number) The customer number on an EMV credit or debit card. Contrast with token. See EMV.
(3) (PAN) See processor area network and personal area network.