Latest Herschel Space Observatory Stories

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed how much dark matter it takes to form a new galaxy bursting with stars. Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission supported with important NASA contributions. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO ) The findings are a key step in understanding how dark matter, an invisible substance permeating our universe, contributed to the birth of massive galaxies in the...

The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed how much dark matter it takes to form a new galaxy bursting with stars. Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission supported with important NASA contributions.The findings are a key step in understanding how dark matter, an invisible substance permeating our universe, contributed to the birth of massive galaxies in the early universe."If you start with too little dark matter, then a developing galaxy would peter out," said...

Two ESA observatories have combined forces to show the Andromeda Galaxy in a new light. Herschel sees rings of star formation in this, the most detailed image of the Andromeda Galaxy ever taken at infrared wavelengths, and XMM-Newton shows dying stars shining X-rays into space.During Christmas 2010, ESA's Herschel and XMM-Newton space observatories targeted the nearest large spiral galaxy M31. This is a galaxy similar to our own Milky Way "“ both contain several hundred billion stars. This...

A UK-led international team of astronomers have presented the first conclusive evidence for a dramatic surge in star birth in a newly discovered population of massive galaxies in the early Universe. Their measurements confirm the idea that stars formed most rapidly about 11 billion years ago, or about three billion years after the Big Bang, and that the rate of star formation is much faster than was thought.The scientists used the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, an...

Submillimeter observatories penetrate cold, dusty galaxies to see stars forming in the primeval pastA chance alignment of galaxies, recently observed by a space observatory, presents the perfect opportunity for studying star-forming galaxies billions of light-years away.For decades, astronomers have used Einstein's concept of a "gravitational lens" to study the magnified images of distant objects.  A lensing effect occurs when a massive object, such as a galaxy, is located...

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. Like little kids probing patches of dirt for insects, astronomers can use these new cosmic magnifying lenses to study galaxies that are hidden in dust."I was surprised to learn that Herschel is so good at finding these cosmic lenses," said Asantha Cooray of the...

The Sculptor galaxy is shown in different infrared hues, in this new mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The main picture is a composite of infrared light captured with all four of the space telescope's infrared detectors.The red image at bottom right shows the galaxy's active side. Infant stars are heating up their dusty cocoons, particularly in the galaxy's core, making the Sculptor galaxy burst with infrared light. This light -- color-coded red in this view --...

The Herschel Space Observatory is providing the first exciting results on Mars, from its guaranteed-time key program "Water and related chemistry in the Solar System." An accurate globally-averaged temperature profile of the Martian atmosphere may cause scientists to revise their models about atmospheric circulation on Mars. The first sub-millimeter observation of molecular oxygen on the planet may lead to a completely new picture of the oxygen distribution in the Martian...

CW Leonis, a star some 500 light-years from Earth, has become a recent hot topic for scientists, who have long known it to be surrounded by a shroud of water. The star, twice as massive as our Sun, has been looked on by Europe's Herschel space telescope as an old giant star wallowing in a "˜steam bath'. Herschel's superb ability to track the water molecules in space means it can show that the water lies close in to the star and reaches nearly 1300 degrees F. "Herschel really is the most...

A European gravity observation satellite has been hit by a second computer glitch and is not able to transmit its valuable data down to Earth.Europe's Goce satellite, launched on 17 March, 2009, is a satellite carrying a highly sensitive gravity gradiometer which detects fine density differences in the crust and oceans of the Earth. Its main mission is to make the most precise maps yet of how gravity varies across the globe.The satellite suffered a processor fault in February forcing...