News from the NASA Herschel Space Observatory http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/rss/news.xml http://herschel.caltech.edu/template/nhsc-icon.png 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-016 Feature Tue, 07 May 2013 10:30:00 PST nhsc2013-016 Herschel has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. It has provided further proof that the interstellar dust which lies throughout our Galaxy is created when massive stars reach the end of their lives. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-015 Press Release Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:30:00 PST nhsc2013-015 Astronomers trace water in Jupiter's intermediate atmospheric layer back to the famous Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impact of 19 years ago. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-014 Feature nhsc2013-014 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:00 PST Busy-bee galaxy seen churning out stars when our universe was just a baby. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-012 Feature nhsc2013-012 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:00:00 PST 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 http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-011 Feature nhsc2013-011 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-010 Feature nhsc2013-010 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:30:00 PST The 15 newly observed protostars turned up by surprise in a survey of the biggest site of star formation near our solar system, located in the constellation Orion. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-009 Press Release nhsc2013-009 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:00:00 PST The Herschel space observatory is expected to exhaust its supply of liquid helium coolant in the coming weeks, after spending more than three years studying the cool universe and surpassing the expectations of the international team of scientists involved. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-008 Press Release nhsc2013-008 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:45:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-007 Feature nhsc2013-007 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:00:00 PST The possible effects of supermassive black holes on star formation in their host galaxies pose a tricky puzzle. Galaxy surveys from Herschel are being used to try to understand this complex interaction. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-006 Press Release nhsc2013-006 Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:00:00 PST A star thought to have passed the age at which it can form planets may, in fact, be creating new worlds. The disk of material surrounding the surprising star called TW Hydrae may be massive enough to make even more planets than we have in our own solar system. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-005 Press Release nhsc2013-005 Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-004 Feature nhsc2013-004 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:30:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-003 Feature nhsc2013-003 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:00:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-002 Feature nhsc2013-002 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:30:00 PST Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the star Vega, the second brightest star in northern night skies. The scientists used data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, in which NASA plays an important role. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2013-001 Press Release nhsc2013-001 Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:30:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-015 Feature nhsc2012-015 Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:00:00 PST Herschel has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. It has provided further proof that the interstellar dust which lies throughout our Galaxy is created when massive stars reach the end of their lives. http://herscheltelescope.org.uk/results/crab-nebula External Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:00:00 PST nhsc2012-014 Astronomers have discovered vast comet belts surrounding two nearby planetary systems known to host only Earth-to-Neptune-mass worlds. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-013 Feature nhsc2012-013 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:00:00 PST New stars can be seen bubbling up around the remains of a dramatic stellar explosion in this new portrait from two space telescopes. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-012 Feature nhsc2012-012 Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:00:00 PST Galaxies in the early universe grew fast by rapidly making new stars. Such prodigious star formation episodes, characterized by the intense radiation of the newborn stars, were often accompanied by fireworks in the form of energy bursts caused by the massive central black hole accretion in these galaxies. This discovery by a group of astronomers led by Peter Barthel of the Kapteyn Institute of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands is published today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. http://www.rug.nl/corporate/nieuws/archief/archief2012/nieuwsberichten/126-barthel External Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:00:00 PST nhsc2012-011 A beautiful blue butterfly flutters towards a nest of warm dust and gas, above an intricate network of cool filaments in this image of the Vela C region by ESA’s Herschel space observatory. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-010 Press Release nhsc2012-010 Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 PST The Herschel Space Observatory has discovered a giant, galaxy-packed filament ablaze with billions of new stars. The filament connects two clusters of galaxies that, along with a third cluster, will smash together and give rise to one of the largest galaxy superclusters in the universe. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-009 Press Release nhsc2012-009 Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:00 PST The Herschel Space Observatory has shown galaxies with the most powerful, active black holes at their cores produce fewer stars than galaxies with less active black holes. The results are the first to demonstrate black holes suppressed galactic star formation when the universe was less than half its current age. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-007 Press Release nhsc2012-007 Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 PST New data from the Herschel Space Observatory suggest comets are constantly smashing together around the star Fomalhaut. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-006 Feature nhsc2012-006 Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:30:00 PST The cataclysmic history of a giant galaxy is on display in a new image that combines infrared and X-ray observations. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-005 Feature nhsc2012-005 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:00:00 PST A study of galaxies in the deepest far-infrared image of the sky, obtained by the Herschel Space Observatory, highlights the two contrasting ways that stars formed in galaxies up to 12 billion years ago. Dr Georgios Magdis will present the results at the National Astronomy Meeting in Manchester. http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/meetings/nam2012/pressreleases/nam09.html External Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:00:00 PST nhsc2012-004 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-003 Feature nhsc2012-003 Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:30:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-002 Feature nhsc2012-002 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:30:00 PST The cold dust that builds blazing stars is revealed in new images that combine observations from the Herschel Space Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope. The new images map the dust in the galaxies known as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, two of the closest neighbors to our own Milky Way galaxy. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2012-001 Press Release nhsc2012-001 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:30:00 PST Using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, astronomers have detected for the first time cold water vapor enveloping a dusty disk around a young star. The findings suggest that this disk, which is poised to develop into a solar system, contains great quantities of water, suggesting that water-covered planets like Earth may be common in the universe. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-018 Press Release nhsc2011-018 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:50:00 PST Astronomers have found a new cosmic source for the same kind of water that appeared on Earth billions of years ago and created the oceans. The findings may help explain how Earth's surface ended up covered in water. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-017 Press Release nhsc2011-017 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:00:00 PST Chalk up one more feat for Saturn's intriguing moon Enceladus. The small, dynamic moon spews out dramatic plumes of water vapor and ice. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-016 Feature nhsc2011-016 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:00:00 PST New findings from the Herschel Space Observatory paint a more tranquil picture of galaxy growth than previously thought. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-015 Feature nhsc2011-015 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:15:00 PST The Herschel Space Observatory's large telescope and state-of-the-art infrared detectors have provided the first confirmed finding of oxygen molecules in space. The molecules were discovered in the Orion star-forming complex. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-014 Press Release nhsc2011-014 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:00:00 PST New observations from the Herschel Space Observatory show a bizarre, twisted ring of dense gas at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Only a few portions of the ring, which stretches across more than 600 light-years, were known before. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-013 Press Release nhsc2011-013 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:00:00 PST New observations from the infrared Herschel Space Observatory reveal that an exploding star expelled the equivalent of between 160,000 and 230,000 Earth masses of fresh dust. This enormous quantity suggests that exploding stars, called supernovae, are the answer to the long-standing puzzle of what supplied our early universe with dust. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-012 Press Release nhsc2011-012 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:00:00 PST Observations with Herschel-HIFI of water in a young Sun-like star reveal high-velocity bullets moving at more than 200,000 kmh from the star. This can be compared to the velocity of a bullet from an AK47 rifle, which is 2500 kmh or 80 times slower. http://www.sron.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3173&Itemid=75 External Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:00:00 PST nhsc2011-011 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-009 Feature nhsc2011-009 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:00:00 PST The Herschel Space Observatory has been observing the sky at infrared wavelengths since shortly after its launch two years ago, on 14th May 2009. But the name Herschel has a much longer legacy than that. http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/news/herschel-lives-family-name External Fri, 13 May 2011 11:40:00 PST nhsc2011-008 Herschel Space Observatory has detected massive amounts of molecular gas gusting at high velocities - in some cases in excess of 1000 kilometers per second - from the centers of a sample of merging galaxies. http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/68-11r/ External Mon, 09 May 2011 10:00:00 PST nhsc2011-007 Herschel Space Observatory has detected raging winds of molecular gas streaming away from galaxies. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-006 Press Release nhsc2011-006 Mon, 09 May 2011 10:00:00 PST Astronomer Joel Green of The University of Texas at Austin has been following a rare massive flare from a nascent star similar to the early Sun using the European Space Agency's infrared Herschel Space Observatory and a cadre of other telescopes. http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2011/0420.html External Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:00:00 PST nhsc2011-005 The Herschel Space Observatory has found evidence that tangled filaments in space may be shaped by sonic booms. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-004 Press Release nhsc2011-004 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:00:00 PST The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed how much dark matter it takes to form a new galaxy bursting with stars. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-003 Press Release nhsc2011-003 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:00:00 PST The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the UK’s voice for professional astronomers and geophysicists today announced the recipients of the Society’s medals and awards for 2011. The prizes honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to astronomy and geophysics and will be given out at the 2011 National Astronomy Meeting to be held in Llandudno, Wales, in April. http://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/217-news2011/1912-ras-honours-outstanding-astronomers-and-geophysicists External Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:10:00 PST nhsc2011-002 This mosaic of the Andromeda spiral galaxy highlights explosive stars in its interior, and cooler, dusty stars forming in its many rings. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2011-001 Press Release nhsc2011-001 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:00:00 PST It turns out the Herschel Space Observatory has a trick up its sleeve. The telescope, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA contributions, has proven to be excellent at finding magnified, faraway galaxies. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-012 Press Release nhsc2010-012 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:00:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-011 Feature nhsc2010-011 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:00:00 PST The first scientific results obtained with Herschel are appearing, this week, in a special issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Based on data collected during the first few months of operations with this ESA observatory, the 152 new publications tackle a multitude of different astrophysical subjects, ranging from nearby Solar System bodies through newly-forming stars in our Galaxy, all the way to very distant galaxies. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47474 External Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:00 PST nhsc2010-010 Amazing new data captured by ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory – carrying the largest mirror ever launched into space - have just been publicly released, allowing the World’s astronomers to share in the Herschel SPIRE instrument’s observations of distant galaxies. http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/news/herschel-reveals-details-distant-galaxies-and-quasars External Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:30:00 PST nhsc2010-009 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-008 Feature nhsc2010-008 Wed, 26 May 2010 17:30:00 PST 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-007 Feature Fri, 14 May 2010 10:30:00 PST nhsc2010-007 The Herschel Space Observatory has made an unexpected discovery: a gaping hole in the clouds surrounding a batch of young stars. The hole has provided astronomers with a surprising glimpse into the end of the star-forming process. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-006 Press Release nhsc2010-006 Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:00 PST The first scientific results from ESA's Herschel infrared space observatory are revealing previously hidden details of star formation. New images show thousands of distant galaxies furiously building stars and beautiful star-forming clouds draped across the Milky Way. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-005 Press Release nhsc2010-005 Thu, 06 May 2010 11:30:00 PST The Herschel Space Observatory has uncovered a cosmic garden of budding stars, each expected to grow to 10 times the mass of our sun. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-004 Press Release Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:00:00 PST nhsc2010-004 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-003 Feature Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:30:00 PST nhsc2010-003 ESA’s Herschel observatory is back to full operation following the reactivation of its HIFI instrument. HIFI, having been offline for 160 days while engineers investigated an unexpected problem in the electronic system, is now perfectly placed to resume its study of forming stars and planets. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2010-002 Announcement Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:10:00 PST nhsc2010-002 A University of British Columbia astronomer has produced the most detailed images of deep space from 12 billion years ago, using data from the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/uobc-uau010610.php External Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:50:00 PST nhsc2010-001 Herschel has peered inside an unseen stellar nursery and revealed surprising amounts of activity. Some 700 newly-forming stars are estimated to be crowded into filaments of dust stretching through the image. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-022 Press Release Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-022 Herschel spectroscopy takes center stage today as new spectra, obtained with the SPIRE, PACS and HIFI instruments during the performance verification phase, are released by ESA and the instrument teams. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-021 Press Release Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-021 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-020 Feature Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:15:00 PST nhsc2009-020 On August 3, 2009, Herschel's Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared, or HIFI, was switched off temporarily after an anomaly was registered. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-019 Announcement Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:50:00 PST nhsc2009-019 Engineers and scientists are continuing to characterize the performance of the Herschel Space Observatory, following its successful launch on May 14, 2009. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-018 Announcement Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:10:00 PST nhsc2009-018 All three of Herschel's instruments have now opened their eyes and collected their first astronomy data. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-017 Feature Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:15:00 PST nhsc2009-017 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-016 Feature Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:00:00 PST nhsc2009-016 The Herschel observatory has flipped its lid — the cover protecting the telescope's instruments was successfully removed on June 14, 2009, at 2:54 a.m. Pacific Time. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-015 Announcement Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:00:00 PST nhsc2009-015 Herschel is approaching its final orbit around the 2nd Earth-sun Lagrange point (L2), a point in space 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth on the side away from the sun. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-014 Announcement Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:00:00 PST nhsc2009-014 After a perfect injection by the Ariane 5 launcher on 14 May, the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) for Herschel and Planck has started to wind down, while commissioning of the scientific instruments and subsystems on both spacecraft has begun. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-013 Press Release Wed, 20 May 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-013 The Herschel and Planck spacecraft successfully blasted into space at 6:12 a.m. Pacific Time (9:12 a.m. Eastern Time) on May 14 from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-012 Press Release Thu, 14 May 2009 07:30:00 PST nhsc2009-012 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-011 Feature Wed, 13 May 2009 13:00:00 PST nhsc2009-011 Two missions to study our cosmic roots, Herschel and Planck, are stacked atop the same Ariane 5 rocket, waiting to blast into space. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-010 Feature Tue, 12 May 2009 13:00:00 PST nhsc2009-010 Many of the organic molecules that make up life on Earth have also been found in space. A University of Michigan astronomer will use the Herschel Space Observatory to study these chemical compounds in new detail in the warm clouds of gas and dust around young stars. http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=7122 External Thu, 07 May 2009 13:50:00 PST nhsc2009-009 Two missions to study the cosmos, Herschel and Planck, are scheduled to blast into space May 14 aboard the same Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-008 Press Release Tue, 05 May 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-008 Now that additional checks on the Ariane 5 ECA launcher have been completed, Arianespace and ESA have set the launch date of Herschel and Planck for Thursday 14 May. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-007 Press Release Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-007 Due to an anomaly discovered during tests on a subassembly identical to the one on the Ariane 5 launcher, Arianespace has decided to carry out additional checks which will take a few days. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-006 Press Release Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-006 With the additional checks related to the flight worthiness of the Herschel telescope now completed, ESA and Arianespace have set the launch date of Herschel and Planck for 6 May 2009. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-005 Press Release Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-005 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-004 Feature Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-004 ESA's Herschel and Planck missions have successfully completed their test campaigns in Europe and will be soon transported to Europe's spaceport at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guyana. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-002 Press Release Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-002 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2009-001 Feature Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:00:00 PST nhsc2009-001 The Herschel and Planck ground segments have successfully passed another milestone on the path to launch. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2008-001 Feature Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:00:00 PST nhsc2008-001 Two of the satellite's most fundamental modules, its 'heart' and 'brain', have now been mated. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2007-001 Feature Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:00:00 PST nhsc2007-001 The Herschel telescope primary mirror blank has now been machined to its final shape and thickness. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2004-002 Feature Tue, 06 Jul 2004 10:00:00 PST nhsc2004-002 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2004-001 Feature Wed, 18 Feb 2004 10:00:00 PST nhsc2004-001 It is 20 years ago this year that Europe, in collaboration with the United States, launched the first infrared observatory into space. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2003-002 Feature Wed, 16 Apr 2003 10:00:00 PST nhsc2003-002 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? http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2003-001 Feature Fri, 28 Feb 2003 10:00:00 PST nhsc2003-001 Giant telescopes with primary mirrors of 8 metres in diameter are now common on the ground, but it will take a while before they can jump into space. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2001-003 Press Release Mon, 15 Oct 2001 10:00:00 PST nhsc2001-003 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. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2001-001 Feature Tue, 20 Mar 2001 10:00:00 PST nhsc2001-001 In science, new answers often trigger new questions. And in astronomy, new questions often mean new instruments. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2000-004 Press Release Fri, 22 Dec 2000 10:00:00 PST nhsc2000-004 ESA's 'Herschel Space Observatory' will find out the nature of the first galaxies http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2000-002 Press Release Thu, 14 Dec 2000 10:00:00 PST nhsc2000-002 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'. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=News&NewsItem=nhsc2000-001 Feature Tue, 12 Dec 2000 10:00:00 PST nhsc2000-001