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Euclid telescope discovery of comet C/2026 S1

Overview

The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope, primarily designed to study dark matter and dark energy, has discovered a new comet designated C/2026 S1 (Euclid). The object was identified through deep-sky images captured between September 16 and 24, 2026, in the Euclid Deep Field North.

The discovery was facilitated by specialized moving object detection software developed by Mikko Pöntinen of the University of Helsinki and the Euclid Consortium’s Solar System objects working group. Because the telescope utilizes a ‘step-and-stare’ method, moving objects typically appear as faint light trails. The software flagged a streak that was later confirmed to possess a fuzzy cloud of dust and gas, indicating cometary activity.

Following the initial detection, the findings were reported to the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, and ground-based observations confirmed the discovery on October 8. According to the Minor Planet Center, the comet is located approximately 1.3 billion kilometres from Earth, positioned between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. It possesses an orbital inclination of about 85 degrees and a revolution period exceeding 300,000 years. ESA noted that this accidental discovery serves as a valuable test for future coordination with the upcoming ‘Comet Interceptor’ mission.

The finding is particularly notable because Euclid is not specifically designed for comet hunting; the mission typically avoids areas of the sky with high solar system dust to maintain deep, stable images of distant galaxies.

Entities

European Space Agency · University of Helsinki · Mikko Pöntinen · International Astronomical Union · Euclid

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    ESA Euclid space telescope discovers new comet C/2026 S1

    The ESA Euclid space telescope discovered comet C/2026 S1 (Euclid) while observing distant galaxies. The object is located 1.3 billion km from Earth between Jupiter and Saturn.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    ESA Euclid telescope discovers new comet C/2026 S1

    The ESA Euclid space telescope has unexpectedly discovered comet C/2026 S1, a long-period object located between Jupiter and Saturn, using specialized software to detect moving celestial bodies.

  3. [TECHNOLOGY] 10 sources
    Euclid space telescope discovers new comet C/2026 S1

    The ESA's Euclid space telescope has discovered comet C/2026 S1 (Euclid), an unexpected find for a mission primarily designed to study distant galaxies and dark energy.

Sources

ciencias.uy · earthsky.org · elespectador.com · es.gizmodo.com · it-boltwise.de · laregion.es · me.mashable.com · nacion.com.uy · numerama.com · raumfahrer.net · sbircialanotizia.it · sea.mashable.com · spaceweekly.com · technologyreview.de · tek.sapo.pt

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history