Andrew Yee[_1_]
March 5th 07, 05:22 AM
ESA News
http://www.esa.int
2 March 2007
Getting ready for Herschel
Hundreds of astronomers met at ESA's European Science and Technology Centre
(ESTEC) in the Netherlands on 20-21 February 2007 to make plans for using
Herschel, ESA's large Infrared Space Telescope due for launch in July 2008.
With the largest mirror ever to be flown in space, Herschel will change
forever the way astronomers see the infrared Universe.
Herschel's mirror is fully 3.5 metres in diameter: twice the size of any
previous infrared telescope. It is even one and a half times larger than the
optical Hubble Space Telescope. Its three high-precision instruments will
detect far-infrared radiation from cool objects in the Universe. These will
often be still-forming stars, surrounded by cool cocoons of dust and gas,
either in star forming regions in our own galaxy or as starburst galaxies.
"Star formation is central to everything that Herschel will do," says Gan
Pilbratt, Herschel Project Scientist. The Herschel science programme can be
split into three broad strands.
Firstly, Herschel will study the formation and evolution of galaxies when
the Universe was roughly half its present age. This is the era when most of
the stars in the Universe were forming.
Secondly, Herschel will target star and planet formation, and the subsequent
stellar evolution. It will look at the details of how stars form, the
environment from which they form and the way they enrich their environment
when they die.
This work will allow Herschel to chart the build-up of heavy elements in the
Universe. Called metals by astronomers, these chemical elements are
everything heavier than hydrogen and helium. In the present day, they make
up just two percent of the atoms in the Universe. Shortly after the big
bang, they were non-existent. They are created in the hearts of stars and
scattered into space when the stars die. "Without these elements, there
would be no planets or life," says Pilbratt, "We are literally made of
stardust."
Thirdly, Herschel will look at the primitive bodies in our Solar System.
These are the comets and outer solar system bodies. Together they represent
fragments left over from the formation of the planets and may hold important
clues as to how the Solar System formed.
Herschel will have a scientific lifetime of three years. After that, the
liquid helium that cools the spacecraft to its working temperature will be
depleted and the spacecraft will become too warm. It is therefore essential
to achieve the very best use of the spacecraft's working lifetime.
An Announcement of Opportunity was issued on 1 February asking the
scientific community for 'Key Programmes' to be proposed. These must satisfy
three requirements: they must exploit Herschel's unique capabilities to
address important scientific issues in a comprehensive manner; they must
require a large amount of observing time to be used in a uniform and
coherent fashion; and they must produce datasets of high archival value.
At the two-day workshop at ESTEC, the scientists in the Herschel Science
Centre who are preparing Herschel's scientific operations met the space
telescope's potential users to help them prepare for the observatory. The
workshop contained poster sessions, in which astronomers presented the
observations that they would like to make with Herschel. "People were
extremely open about what they wanted to do with Herschel. There was a lot
of discussion," says Pilbratt.
The Key Programmes will allow Herschel to build a detailed archive of
infrared observations, tailored to the needs of the astronomical community.
This means that Herschel will provide a legacy to astronomers that extends
for many years after the observational phase of the mission is over.
For more information:
Gan Pilbratt, ESA Herschel Project Scientist
Email: gpilbratt @ rssd.esa.int
[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMHGLN0LYE_index_1.html ]
http://www.esa.int
2 March 2007
Getting ready for Herschel
Hundreds of astronomers met at ESA's European Science and Technology Centre
(ESTEC) in the Netherlands on 20-21 February 2007 to make plans for using
Herschel, ESA's large Infrared Space Telescope due for launch in July 2008.
With the largest mirror ever to be flown in space, Herschel will change
forever the way astronomers see the infrared Universe.
Herschel's mirror is fully 3.5 metres in diameter: twice the size of any
previous infrared telescope. It is even one and a half times larger than the
optical Hubble Space Telescope. Its three high-precision instruments will
detect far-infrared radiation from cool objects in the Universe. These will
often be still-forming stars, surrounded by cool cocoons of dust and gas,
either in star forming regions in our own galaxy or as starburst galaxies.
"Star formation is central to everything that Herschel will do," says Gan
Pilbratt, Herschel Project Scientist. The Herschel science programme can be
split into three broad strands.
Firstly, Herschel will study the formation and evolution of galaxies when
the Universe was roughly half its present age. This is the era when most of
the stars in the Universe were forming.
Secondly, Herschel will target star and planet formation, and the subsequent
stellar evolution. It will look at the details of how stars form, the
environment from which they form and the way they enrich their environment
when they die.
This work will allow Herschel to chart the build-up of heavy elements in the
Universe. Called metals by astronomers, these chemical elements are
everything heavier than hydrogen and helium. In the present day, they make
up just two percent of the atoms in the Universe. Shortly after the big
bang, they were non-existent. They are created in the hearts of stars and
scattered into space when the stars die. "Without these elements, there
would be no planets or life," says Pilbratt, "We are literally made of
stardust."
Thirdly, Herschel will look at the primitive bodies in our Solar System.
These are the comets and outer solar system bodies. Together they represent
fragments left over from the formation of the planets and may hold important
clues as to how the Solar System formed.
Herschel will have a scientific lifetime of three years. After that, the
liquid helium that cools the spacecraft to its working temperature will be
depleted and the spacecraft will become too warm. It is therefore essential
to achieve the very best use of the spacecraft's working lifetime.
An Announcement of Opportunity was issued on 1 February asking the
scientific community for 'Key Programmes' to be proposed. These must satisfy
three requirements: they must exploit Herschel's unique capabilities to
address important scientific issues in a comprehensive manner; they must
require a large amount of observing time to be used in a uniform and
coherent fashion; and they must produce datasets of high archival value.
At the two-day workshop at ESTEC, the scientists in the Herschel Science
Centre who are preparing Herschel's scientific operations met the space
telescope's potential users to help them prepare for the observatory. The
workshop contained poster sessions, in which astronomers presented the
observations that they would like to make with Herschel. "People were
extremely open about what they wanted to do with Herschel. There was a lot
of discussion," says Pilbratt.
The Key Programmes will allow Herschel to build a detailed archive of
infrared observations, tailored to the needs of the astronomical community.
This means that Herschel will provide a legacy to astronomers that extends
for many years after the observational phase of the mission is over.
For more information:
Gan Pilbratt, ESA Herschel Project Scientist
Email: gpilbratt @ rssd.esa.int
[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMHGLN0LYE_index_1.html ]