Selected highlights from the Herschel First Results Symposium, ESLAB 2010
| Herschel unveils rare massive stars in the act of forming |
|
New images from ESA's Herschel space observatory reveal high-mass protostars around two ionised regions in our Galaxy. The detection of these rare stars in an early phase of evolution is key to understanding the mysterious formation of massive stars. |
 A massive protostar has been discovered in RCW 120 (shown above). |
|
|
| Herschel's HIFI follows the trail of cosmic water |
|
Herschel's HIFI instrument was especially designed to follow the water trail in the Universe over a wide range of scales, from the Solar System out to extragalactic sources. Early results, presented this week at the Herschel First Results Symposium, demonstrate how HIFI uses water to probe the physical and chemical conditions in different regions of the cosmos. |
  Detection of water lines around low- and intermediate-mass protostars, with the HIFI instrument. |
|
|
| Herschel reveals galaxies in the GOODS fields in a brand new light |
|
The discovery of a previously unresolved population of galaxies in the GOODS fields and the first measurements of properties of galaxies in the almost unexplored far-infrared domain are among the first exciting scientific results achieved by Herschel's PACS and SPIRE instruments. These findings confirm the extraordinary capabilities of ESA's new infrared space observatory to investigate the formation and evolution of galaxies. |
 
The GOODS-North field as viewed by PACS (left) and SPIRE (right). These are the most sensitive images yet produced by Herschel. |