Euclid Space Telescope Spots Its First Unknown Comet
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered its first previously unknown comet, designated C/2026 S1 (Euclid), in images captured between September 16 and 24, 2026. Researchers identified the fast-moving object using custom detection software that flagged a streak across multiple image sets. Subsequent checks against object catalogues confirmed no prior match, and the Minor Planet Center officially designated it as a comet in October. Located approximately 1.3 billion kilometres away from Earth, the object orbits well outside the planetary plane on a path taking thousands of years to complete.
Aspera FUV SmallSat Completes Testing Ahead of Launch
Aspera, a far-ultraviolet SmallSat mission selected under NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers Program, has completed spacecraft integration and environmental testing, including observatory-level vibration and thermal-vacuum tests. The payload has been shipped to its spacecraft vendor, and the mission is in final preparation for a launch scheduled for no earlier than January 29, 2027. Aspera will launch as the primary payload on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Mahia, New Zealand, to map warm-hot circumgalactic medium emission in nearby galaxies for the first time via the O VI emission line doublet.
Landsat 9 Observes Fall Foliage in Poland's Mountains
The Operational Land Imager on the NASA-USGS Landsat 9 satellite captured an image on October 8, 2026, displaying the seasonal transformation of forests in southeast Poland's Bieszczady National Park. As air temperatures dropped and daylight waned, deciduous trees such as European beech began displaying vibrant reds and golds as chlorophyll production slowed. The imagery highlights the forested slopes alongside the higher subalpine meadows, known locally as polonina, which stretch across the ridge tops and have turned tan with the advancing autumn season.
Written with AI from original reports. Source names and report dates are shown with each story.
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