XML news feed from the Herschel Space Observatory. https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news?format=xml In a tale of cosmic proportions, the region is being transformed by the massive stars that live and die within it. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2022-002 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2022-002 Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 New images using data from ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA missions showcase the dust that fills the space between stars in four of the galaxies closest to our own Milky Way. More than striking, the snapshots are also a scientific trove, lending insight into how dramatically the density of dust clouds can vary within a galaxy. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2022-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2022-001 Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Dutch astronomer Ewine van Dishoeck (Leiden University, the Netherlands), together with an international team of colleagues, has written an overview of everything we know about water in interstellar clouds thanks to the Herschel space observatory. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2021-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2021-001 Fri, 09 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 New Year's Eve may be past, but we are not done with fireworks just yet. This image, which includes data from ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, shows the remnants of an explosion – not of the colorful type ignited during celebrations, but of the stellar kind. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2019-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2019-001 Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000 The Herschel mission, a trailblazing space observatory that provided a unique view of our cosmos during its almost four years of operations, leaves a legacy of treasured data, thousands of scientific papers, as well as a new generation of astronomers who cut their professional teeth on this remarkable endeavour. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-005 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-005 Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 Delving deep into the history of our cosmos, the Herschel Space Observatory scrutinised hundreds of thousands of star-forming galaxies, peering back in time to when the Universe was less than one billion years old. These observations probed the peak epoch of stellar production, about ten billion years ago, when galaxies were forming stars roughly ten times faster than their present counterparts. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-004 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-004 Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 During almost four years of observing the cosmos, the Herschel Space Observatory traced out the presence of water. With its unprecedented sensitivity and spectral resolution at key wavelengths, Herschel revealed this crucial molecule in star-forming molecular clouds, detected it for the first time in the seeds of future stars and planets, and identified the delivery of water from interplanetary debris to planets in our Solar System. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-003 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-003 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 Surveying the sky for almost four years to observe the glow of cold cosmic dust embedded in interstellar clouds of gas, the Herschel Space Observatory has provided astronomers with an unprecedented glimpse into the stellar cradles of our Galaxy. As a result, giant strides have been taken in our understanding of the physical processes that lead to the birth of stars and their planetary systems. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-002 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-002 Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 Two new catalogues, based on data from ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, have been released to the scientific community. The point source catalogues are examples of a new type of data product from two of Herschel’s instruments, SPIRE and PACS. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2017-001 Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 Life exists in a myriad of wondrous forms, but if you break any organism down to its most basic parts, it's all the same stuff: carbon atoms connected to hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. But how these fundamental substances are created in space has been a longstanding mystery. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2016-003 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2016-003 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 For years, astronomers have puzzled over a massive star lodged deep in the Milky Way that shows conflicting signs of being extremely old and extremely young. Researchers initially classified the star as elderly, perhaps a red supergiant. But a new study by a NASA-led team of researchers suggests that the object, labeled IRAS 19312+1950, might be something quite different -- a protostar, a star still in the making. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2016-002 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2016-002 Mon, 29 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 ESA's Herschel mission releases today a series of unprecedented maps of star-forming hubs in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. This is accompanied by a set of catalogues listing hundreds of thousands of compact sources that span all phases leading to the birth of stars in our Galaxy. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2016-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2016-001 Fri, 22 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 The Herschel and Planck project teams are this year's recipients of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Systems Award. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-005 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-005 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Our Sun missed the stellar "baby boom" that erupted in our young Milky Way galaxy 10 billion years ago. During that time the Milky Way was churning out stars 30 times faster than it does today. Our galaxy was ablaze with a firestorm of star birth as its rich reservoir of hydrogen gas compressed under gravity, creating myriad stars. But our Sun was not one of them. It was a late "boomer," arising 5 billion years later, when star birth had plunged to a trickle. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-003 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-003 Thu, 09 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers mine data from the Planck and Herschel missions to find a treasure chest of galaxy clusters. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-002 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-002 Tue, 31 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000 By combining observations from the Japan-led Suzaku X-ray satellite and the European Space Agency's infrared Herschel Space Observatory, scientists have connected a fierce "wind" produced near a galaxy's monster black hole to an outward torrent of cold gas a thousand light-years across. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2015-001 Wed, 25 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers using ESA’s Herschel space observatory have found, for the first time, fireworks of star birth within galaxies at the dense core of a massive early Universe galaxy cluster. This frenzy of star formation reveals the young lives of now “red and dead” elliptical galaxies and gives new clues to the evolution of some of the largest structures in the Universe. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-014 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-014 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000 One galaxy devoured remnants of another galaxy, quenching the formation of new stars. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-013 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-013 Fri, 05 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000 What makes one rose bush blossom with flowers, while another remains barren? Astronomers ask a similar question of galaxies, wondering how some flourish with star formation and others barely bloom. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-012 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-012 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers have for the first time caught a glimpse of the earliest stages of massive galaxy construction. The building site, dubbed "Sparky," is a dense galactic core blazing with the light of millions of newborn stars that are forming at a ferocious rate. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-011 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-011 Wed, 27 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers using ESA’s Herschel space observatory to probe the turbulent beginnings of a Sun-like star have found evidence of mighty stellar winds that could solve a puzzling meteorite mystery in our own back yard. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-010 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-010 Tue, 01 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers have discovered that a molecule vital for creating water exists in the burning embers of dying Sun-like stars. When low- to middleweight stars like our Sun approach the end of their lives, they eventually become dense, white dwarf stars. In doing so, they cast off their outer layers of dust and gas into space, creating a kaleidoscope of intricate patterns known as planetary nebulas. External https://www.herschel.caltech.eduhttp://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Herschel/New_molecules_around_old_stars https://www.herschel.caltech.eduhttp://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Herschel/New_molecules_around_old_stars Tue, 17 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 The Herschel Space Observatory has uncovered a weird ring of dusty material while obtaining one of the sharpest scans to date of a huge cloud of gas and dust, called NGC 7538. The observations have revealed numerous clumps of material, a baker's dozen of which may evolve into the most powerful kinds of stars in the universe. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-008 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-008 Thu, 12 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 A cosmic mystery regarding oxygen has deepened, thanks to new findings from the Herschel Space Observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA contributions. Observations of a newly forming star have revealed strangely low levels of molecular oxygen, the kind we breathe, in the emerging star's gassy, dusty environment. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-006 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-006 Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Scientists have discovered a young galaxy acting in unexpectedly mature ways. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-005 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-005 Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000 The largest census of dust in local galaxies has been completed using data from the Herschel space observatory, providing a huge legacy to the scientific community. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-004 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-004 Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Herschel has discovered massive elliptical galaxies in the nearby Universe containing plenty of cold gas, even though the galaxies fail to produce new stars. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-003 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-003 Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Scientists using the Herschel space observatory have made the first definitive detection of water vapor on the largest and roundest object in the asteroid belt, Ceres. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-001 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-001 Wed, 22 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers using NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, Europe's Herschel Space Observatory, and many ground-based telescopes have pieced together the evolutionary sequence of compact elliptical galaxies that erupted and burned out early in the history of the universe. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-002 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2014-002 Wed, 22 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 How and when galactic metropolises cease their opulent ways is the subject of new research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-023 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-023 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000 A 'loner' gas called Argon has paired up to make molecules in the tattered remains of an exploded star. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-022 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-022 Thu, 12 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000 A twisted pattern of ancient light called B-modes has at last been detected with help from the Herschel space observatory. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-021 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-021 Mon, 21 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000 The team behind Herschel's SPIRE instrument has been awarded the 2013 Sir Arthur Clarke Award for academic study and research. The award is in recognition of the scientific achievements of the SPIRE instrument, which was designed, built and operated by an international team of astronomers, scientists and engineers. External https://www.herschel.caltech.eduhttp://herschel.cf.ac.uk/news/spire-instrument-wins-sir-arthur-clarke-award https://www.herschel.caltech.eduhttp://herschel.cf.ac.uk/news/spire-instrument-wins-sir-arthur-clarke-award Thu, 18 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Although it might seem counterintuitive, if you get far enough away from a smoldering young star, you can actually find snow lines—frosty regions where gases are able to freeze and coat dust grains. Astronomers believe that these snow lines are critical to the process of planet formation. External https://www.herschel.caltech.eduhttps://proberlab.caltech.edu/news/seeing-snow-space-39948 https://www.herschel.caltech.eduhttps://proberlab.caltech.edu/news/seeing-snow-space-39948 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000 The stuff of stars is not always easy to see. Thanks to the Herschel Space Observatory, invisible pools of gas in our galaxy are being mapped better than before. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-018 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-018 Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 A massive and rare merging of two galaxies has been spotted in images taken by the Herschel space observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA participation. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-017 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-017 Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-016 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-016 Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-015 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-015 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Astronomers trace water in Jupiter's intermediate atmospheric layer back to the famous Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impact of 19 years ago. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-014 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-014 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Busy-bee galaxy seen churning out stars when our universe was just a baby. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-012 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-012 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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 Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-011 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-011 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-010 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-010 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-009 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-009 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-008 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-008 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-007 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-007 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-006 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-006 Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. News Release https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-005 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-005 Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-004 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-004 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 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. Feature https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-003 https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/news/nhsc2013-003 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000