Euclid discovers an unknown comet for the first time
The comet was recorded in September and later officially confirmed by the Minor Planet Center.
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The European space telescope Euclid has discovered an as-yet unknown comet for the first time. The object was named C/2026 S1 (Euclid) after the Minor Planet Center confirmed the observation on 8 October.
Euclid was designed to photograph large numbers of distant galaxies and study the structure of the universe. The telescope does not target comets as its main objective. According to the space agency, a moving, fuzzy spot of light became visible in images from the period between 16 and 24 September.
Mikko Pöntinen of the University of Helsinki spotted the object using software that detects moving objects in Euclid images. The possible comet appeared in five fields of view, spread across several exposures. Checks of catalogues showed, according to the European space agency, that the object had not previously been registered as a comet.
Astronomers were then able to carry out follow-up observations from Earth. The Minor Planet Center, which collects reports of comets and asteroids worldwide and officially designates new objects, confirmed the classification. This does not mean that all the properties of its orbit have already been definitively established.
According to ESA, the comet is approximately 1.3 billion kilometres from Earth. ESA says it is travelling on an orbit that takes thousands of years to circle the Sun. According to the space agency, the object’s current distance and orbit make it unsuitable as a target for ESA’s future Comet Interceptor mission.
Comets consist of ice and dust that are largely left over from the formation of the solar system. They can therefore provide clues about the materials from which planets formed. The discovery is not a breakthrough in the sense of a new theory, but it is an unexpected demonstration that Euclid can also be useful for finding moving objects.
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The discovery, official designation and distance have been described by ESA. The text explicitly states that the orbit is still being refined.
- confirmed Euclid discovered its first unknown comet. — ESA calls C/2026 S1 the first new comet discovered by Euclid. source
- confirmed The Minor Planet Center confirmed the comet on 8 October. — ESA gives this confirmation date. source
- confirmed The comet is approximately 1.3 billion kilometres from Earth. — The distance is given in ESA’s background information on the discovery. source
Editor's note
This is a confirmed astronomical discovery. The orbit will be refined further as more observations become available; the text is therefore cautious about its definitive properties.Sources
- Euclid discovers new comet — European Space Agency
- Euclid discovers new comet: image sequence — European Space Agency
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „euclid komeet”
- RTL Nieuws — „euclid komeet”
- NOS — „euclid komeet”