Ipac_logo
Herschel_spacecraft

Herschel
Space Observatory

An ESA Mission
with Participation from NASA

Nhsc2013-018a

Mapping Invisible Pools of Gas in Our Galaxy

This illustration shows a newfound reservoir of stellar fuel discovered by the Herschel space observatory (red). Stars are formed out of pools of gas made of hydrogen molecules. To locate these pools, astronomers have historically looked for carbon monoxide (CO), which is co-located with the hydrogen gas (orange). But this tracer molecule does not lead astronomers to all of the star-making material in our galaxy. By using Herschel to map ionized carbon (C+), the scientists were able to find additional reservoirs of the gas.

Herschel is a European Space Agency mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes and with important participation by NASA. NASA's Herschel Project Office is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL contributed mission-enabling technology for two of Herschel's three science instruments. The NASA Herschel Science Center, part of the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supports the United States astronomical community. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

Image Details
Date
June 11, 2013
ID
nhsc2013-018a
Type
Artwork
Credit
ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech)
Object Details
Name
Milky Way
Subject | Milky Way
Galaxy Type Spiral
Galaxy Type Barred