ESA Euclid telescope discovers new comet C/2026 S1

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope has discovered a previously unknown comet, designated C/2026 S1 (Euclid). While the telescope’s primary mission is to map billions of galaxies to study dark matter and dark energy, the comet was identified through the use of specialized software designed to detect moving objects within astronomical images.

The comet was intercepted between September 16 and September 24, 2026, in the Euclid Deep Field North. According to the Minor Planet Center, the object is located approximately 1.3 billion kilometers from Earth, positioned between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. It features an orbital inclination of about 85 degrees and a revolution period exceeding 300,000 years.

The discovery was made by the Euclid Consortium’s Solar System objects working group, coordinated by Mikko Pöntinen of the University of Helsinki. The detection occurred despite Euclid’s ‘step-and-stare’ observation method, which is typically optimized for stationary deep-space structures rather than moving bodies.