00:00a space telescope built to study dark matter, has discovered its first comet.
00:04The find hints that the Euclid telescope could help spot distant comets in the future.
00:09The comet is named C2026-S1-Euclid. Software that hunts for moving objects flagged a fast streak
00:16across several images. A fuzzy cloud around it showed an active comet shedding dust and gas.
00:21It was recognized on October 8th and confirmed with telescopes on the ground.
00:26The comet sits about 1.3 billion kilometers from the Sun. That is roughly between the orbits of
00:32Jupiter and Saturn. Its orbit runs almost perpendicular to the planets and takes thousands of years.
00:38This is probably its first visit since telescopes were invented. Around 40 to 50 new comets are
00:44identified each year. This one is too dim for backyard telescopes. Euclid has now added comet
00:49hunting to its list of discoveries. Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content
00:54created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.
