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NASA Herschel Science Center's Portal to the Cool Universe
Milky Way Black Hole Snacks on Hot Gas
Feature • nhsc2013-016 • Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
The supermassive black hole at the core of our Milky Way galaxy is gobbling up hot gas, according to a new study from the Herschel space observatory. More ...
Herschel Links Water Around Jupiter to Comet Impact
Feature • nhsc2013-014 • Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
Astronomers trace water in Jupiter's intermediate atmospheric layer back to the famous Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impact of 19 years ago. More ...
Astronomers Discover Massive Star Factory in Early Universe
Feature • nhsc2013-012 • Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Busy-bee galaxy seen churning out stars when our universe was just a baby. More ...
Retired Star Found with Planets and Debris Disk
Feature • nhsc2013-011 • Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
The Herschel Space Observatory has provided the first images of a dust belt - produced by colliding comets or asteroids - orbiting a subgiant star known to host a planetary system More ...
Hunting Massive Stars with Herschel
Feature • nhsc2013-010 • Thursday, March 28th, 2013
In a new view of a vast star-forming cloud called W3, the Herschel space observatory tells the story of how massive stars are born. More ...
A Cool Discovery About the Sun's Next-door Twin
Feature • nhsc2013-007 • Wednesday, February 20th, 2013
The Herschel Space Observatory has detected a cool layer in the atmosphere of Alpha Centauri A, the first time this has been seen in a star beyond our own Sun. The finding is not only important for understanding the Sun's activity, but could also help in the quest to discover proto-planetary systems around other stars. More ...
Cool, New Views of Andromeda Galaxy
Feature • nhsc2013-004 • Monday, January 28th, 2013
Two new eye-catching views from the Herschel space observatory are fit for a princess. They show the elegant spiral galaxy Andromeda, named after the mythical Greek princess known for her beauty. More ...
Betelgeuse Star Braces for Crash with Strange Bar
Feature • nhsc2013-003 • Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
Orion, the famous hunter presiding over northern winter skies, may experience a stellar crash in its future. The red star at its shoulder, called Betelgeuse, appears to be set to collide with a dusty "wall" in 5,000 years. More ...
Herschel Spacecraft Eyes Asteroid Apophis
Feature • nhsc2013-002 • Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
Scientists using the Herschel Space Observatory made new observations of asteroid Apophis as it approached Earth this past weekend. The data show the asteroid to be bigger than first estimated, and less reflective. More ...
Armchair Science: Bag and Tag Glowing Galactic Clouds
Feature • nhsc2012-015 • Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
A new galactic game launches today that lets citizen scientists identify the glowing clouds where future stars will be born. The online experience, called Clouds, is a new addition to the Milky Way Project, where everyone can help astronomers to sort and measure our galaxy. More ...
Herschel Serves Up Solar Systems with Extra Comets
Feature • nhsc2012-013 • Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
Astronomers have discovered vast comet belts surrounding two nearby planetary systems known to host only Earth-to-Neptune-mass worlds. More ...
Life and Death in a Star-Forming Cloud
Feature • nhsc2012-012 • Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
New stars can be seen bubbling up around the remains of a dramatic stellar explosion in this new portrait from two space telescopes. More ...
Herschel Spots Comet Massacre Around Nearby Star
Feature • nhsc2012-006 • Thursday, April 12th, 2012
New data from the Herschel Space Observatory suggest comets are constantly smashing together around the star Fomalhaut. More ...
Dark Heart of a Cosmic Collision
Feature • nhsc2012-005 • Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
The cataclysmic history of a giant galaxy is on display in a new image that combines infrared and X-ray observations. More ...
Young Stars Flicker Amidst Clouds of Gas and Dust
Feature • nhsc2012-003 • Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
Astronomers have spotted young stars in the Orion nebula changing right before their eyes, thanks to the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. More ...
Revisiting the 'Pillars of Creation'
Feature • nhsc2012-002 • Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light. More ...
Saturn's Moon Enceladus Spreads its Influence
Feature • nhsc2011-016 • Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
Chalk up one more feat for Saturn's intriguing moon Enceladus. The small, dynamic moon spews out dramatic plumes of water vapor and ice. More ...
Herschel Mission Finds Galactic Growth Slow and Steady
Feature • nhsc2011-015 • Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
New findings from the Herschel Space Observatory paint a more tranquil picture of galaxy growth than previously thought. More ...
Ring in the Sky
Feature • nhsc2011-009 • Thursday, June 16th, 2011
Herschel observes in the far-infrared, which allows it to see cold gas and dust between the stars. But many of the greatest discoveries in astronomy have been achieved by combining observations from telescopes observing at different wavelengths. More ...
Herschel Finds Water in a Cosmic Desert
Feature • nhsc2010-011 • Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
The Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that ultraviolet starlight is the key ingredient for making water in space. It is the only explanation for why a dying star is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of hot water vapor. Herschel is a European Space Agency mission with important participation from NASA. More ...
Bright Galaxies Like to Stick Together
Feature • nhsc2010-008 • Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
Astronomers using the European Space Agency's Herschel telescope have discovered that the brightest galaxies tend to be in the busiest parts of the Universe. This crucial piece of information will enable theorists to fix up their theories of galaxy formation. More ...
Happy First Birthday Herschel and Planck
Feature • nhsc2010-007 • Friday, May 14th, 2010
A year ago today the Herschel and Planck satellite pair lifted off on board an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Now, both spacecraft are busy supplying data to waiting scientists on Earth. More ...
Herschel-HIFI Unveils Precursors of Life-Enabling Molecules in Orion Nebula
Feature • nhsc2010-003 • Thursday, March 4th, 2010
The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed the chemical fingerprints of potential life-enabling organic molecules in the Orion Nebula, a nearby stellar nursery in our Milky Way galaxy. More ...
Herschel's Multi-Hued View of the Sky
Feature • nhsc2009-020 • Friday, October 2nd, 2009
A new image from the Herschel Space Observatory shows off the observatory's talents for seeing multiple wavelengths of light. The infrared observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important participation from NASA, can use two science instruments simultaneously to see five different "colors" of infrared, which is light that we can't see with our eyes. More ...
Herschel Instruments Get First Peek at Cosmos
Feature • nhsc2009-017 • Friday, July 10th, 2009
All three of Herschel's instruments have now opened their eyes and collected their first astronomy data. More ...
Herschel Opens Its Infrared Eyes
Feature • nhsc2009-016 • Friday, June 26th, 2009
The Herschel Space Observatory has snapped its first picture since blasting into space on May 14, 2009. The mission, led by the European Space Agency with important participation from NASA, will use infrared light to explore our cosmic roots, addressing questions of how stars and galaxies are born. More ...
Herschel and Planck Launcher at Launch Pad
Feature • nhsc2009-011 • Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
At around 13:40 CEST today, 8:40 at the launch site in Kourou, the Ariane 5 carrying Herschel and Planck rolled out onto the launch pad from its earlier location in the final assembly building under blue skies complete with puffy clouds. More ...
Herschel and Planck Almost Ready for Liftoff
Feature • nhsc2009-010 • Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Two missions to study our cosmic roots, Herschel and Planck, are stacked atop the same Ariane 5 rocket, waiting to blast into space. More ...
ESA: Launch Campaign Teams Take Time Out to Record a Special Moment
Feature • nhsc2009-004 • Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
As the launch date for Herschel and Planck approaches the launch campaign teams, who are busy preparing both spacecraft for this momentous event, have taken time out for a group photograph. More ...
ESA: International Year of Astronomy 2009 Officially Launched
Feature • nhsc2009-001 • Friday, January 16th, 2009
A thrilling launch to the International Year of Astronomy is taking place at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Headquarters in Paris on 15 and 16 January 2009. More ...
ESA: Herschel and Planck Ground Segments Pass Important Milestone
Feature • nhsc2008-001 • Thursday, November 27th, 2008
The Herschel and Planck ground segments have successfully passed another milestone on the path to launch. More ...
ESA: Herschel's Cryostat and Service Module Mated
Feature • nhsc2007-001 • Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
Two of the satellite's most fundamental modules, its 'heart' and 'brain', have now been mated. More ...
ESA: Herschel Mirror on the Move
Feature • nhsc2004-002 • Tuesday, July 6th, 2004
The Herschel telescope primary mirror blank has now been machined to its final shape and thickness. More ...
ESA: Herschel Primary Mirror Fabrication
Feature • nhsc2004-001 • Wednesday, February 18th, 2004
Unlike conventional reflecting telescopes, whose mirrors are made from special glass or sometimes metal, Herschel's telescope mirrors are being made from a novel ceramic material. More ...
ESA: Space Infrared Astronomy Comes of Age
Feature • nhsc2003-002 • Wednesday, April 16th, 2003
It is 20 years ago this year that Europe, in collaboration with the United States, launched the first infrared observatory into space. More ...
ESA: Who Knows How Many Stars There Are?
Feature • nhsc2003-001 • Friday, February 28th, 2003
Have you ever, at some stage of your life, looked up into the night sky and wondered just how many stars there are in space? More ...
ESA: Prime Contractor Selected for ESA's Herschel and Planck Space Satellites
Feature • nhsc2001-001 • Tuesday, March 20th, 2001
On 14 March, in Paris, ESA's Industrial Policy Committee approved the awarding of the main contract for the manufacture of the Herschel and Planck scientific satellites. More ...
ESA: FIRST Space Telescope to be Re-named 'Herschel Space Observatory'
Feature • nhsc2000-001 • Tuesday, December 12th, 2000
On the 200th anniversary of the discovery of infrared light by William Herschel, ESA's Far Infrared and Submillimetre Telescope, FIRST, will be re-named the 'Herschel Space Observatory'. More ...
