Epimetheus

Epimetheus is a figure in ancient Greek mythology. He is a Titan, the brother of Prometheus and the son of Iapetus and Clymene. His name means “afterthought” or “hindmost” in Greek. In Hesiod’s works, Epimetheus is characterized by a lack of foresight, in contrast to Prometheus’s cunning. He is best known for accepting Pandora as a wife and for the consequences that follow when Pandora’s box (pithos) is opened, releasing various evils into the world while hope remains. The stories about Epimetheus are often used to illustrate the theme of heedless action versus thoughtful planning and consequences for humanity.

Epimetheus is also the name of a small moon of Saturn. It is one of the outer satellites and orbits Saturn at roughly 151,000 kilometers from the planet. The moon has an irregular, elongated shape and a diameter on the order of a hundred kilometers. Epimetheus is in a near-coorbital relationship with Janus; the two moons share nearly the same orbit and gravitational interactions periodically cause them to exchange orbital positions, a dynamic described as a horseshoe orbit. Discovered in 1966, Epimetheus is part of the group of Saturnian moons named after mythological figures, continuing the convention of associating Saturn’s moons with classical myth.