Herschel, ESA’s cutting-edge space observatory, carries the largest,
most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space. A pioneering
mission, it is studying the origin and evolution of stars and galaxies
to help understand how the Universe came to be the way it is today.
The first observatory to cover the entire range from far-infrared to
submillimetre wavelengths and bridge the two, Herschel is exploring
further into the far-infrared than any previous mission, studying
otherwise invisible dusty and cold regions of the cosmos, both near and
far.
By tapping these unexploited wavelengths, Herschel is seeing phenomena
beyond the reach of other observatories, and studying others at a level
of detail that has not been captured before. The telescope’s primary
mirror is 3.5 m in diameter, more than four times larger than any
previous infrared space telescope and almost one and a half times larger
than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. Its size is allowing Herschel
to collect almost 20 times more light than any previous infrared space
telescope.
The spacecraft carries three advanced science instruments: two cameras
and a very high-resolution spectrometer. The detectors in these
instruments are cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero by a
sophisticated cryogenic system.
Primary mirror: 3.5 m in diameter.
Launch: 14 May 2009 on an Ariane 5 from ESA’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch took place at 13:12:02 GMT. Herschel was launched along with Planck, ESA’s microwave observatory, which is studying the Cosmic Microwave Background.
Status: In operation.
Journey: Herschel separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage about 26 minutes after launch; Planck followed a few minutes later. The two spacecraft now operate independently. Two weeks after launch, Herschel was more than 1 million km away from Earth and began its commissioning phase. It reached its operational orbit about a hundred days after launch.
Journey: Herschel separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage about 26 minutes after launch; Planck followed a few minutes later. The two spacecraft now operate independently. Two weeks after launch, Herschel was more than 1 million km away from Earth and began its commissioning phase. It reached its operational orbit about a hundred days after launch.
Orbit: Herschel operates from a Lissajous orbit around the second
Lagrangian point of the Sun–Earth system (L2), a virtual point located
1.5 million km from Earth in the direction opposite to the Sun. The
satellite’s average distance from L2 is 800 000 km.
Lifetime: a minimum of three years for routine science observations. The mission will operate until the cryostat runs out of helium, about four years after launch.
Lifetime: a minimum of three years for routine science observations. The mission will operate until the cryostat runs out of helium, about four years after launch.
Instruments:
Launch mass: About 3.4 tonnes.
- HIFI (Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared), a high-resolution spectrometer;
- PACS (Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer);
- SPIRE (Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver).
Launch mass: About 3.4 tonnes.
Dimensions: About 7.5 m high and 4 m wide.
Operations: Herschel is being operated as an observatory. About two-thirds of its observing time is available to the worldwide scientific community. The rest of the observing time is being allotted to the instrument consortia. Herschel is operating autonomously, sending acquired data to Earth over a three-hour period every day.
Primary ground station: ESA’s deep space antenna in New Norcia, Australia.
Operations: Herschel is being operated as an observatory. About two-thirds of its observing time is available to the worldwide scientific community. The rest of the observing time is being allotted to the instrument consortia. Herschel is operating autonomously, sending acquired data to Earth over a three-hour period every day.
Primary ground station: ESA’s deep space antenna in New Norcia, Australia.
Herschel, visto desde la Tierra
Este diminuto punto que contrasta con las estelas de las estrellas es
una de las últimas imágenes captadas desde la Tierra del icónico
observatorio espacial Herschel de la ESA.
Herschel ha pasado más de tres años obteniendo imágenes asombrosas del
universo en las longitudes de onda del infrarrojo lejano, hasta que el
pasado mes de abril agotó sus reservas de helio, lo que marcó el fin de
las operaciones científicas de la misión.
Tan pronto como se confirmó el fin de la fase de observaciones, el
equipo de operaciones del satélite aprovechó la oportunidad para llevar a
cabo una serie de pruebas de ingeniería. Poco después, Herschel
encendió los motores para abandonar su órbita alrededor del punto L2, a
1.5 millones de kilómetros de la Tierra, y situarse en una órbita
heliocéntrica. Finalmente, el satélite se apagó para siempre el pasado
mes de junio.
Las antenas de la ESA han seguido a Herschel durante toda su misión, al
igual que cientos de astrónomos aficionados que trataban de
fotografiarlo.
La semana pasada, cuando Herschel empezaba a alejarse de la Tierra, los
astrónomos Nick Howes y Ernesto Guido, del Observatorio Remanzacco,
utilizaron el Telescopio Faulkes Norte (Hawái), de dos metros de
diámetro, para fotografiar al satélite.
La campaña de observación era todo un desafío, ya que tras las últimas
maniobras realizadas por el equipo de control de vuelo de la ESA, el
satélite se encontraba en una posición ligeramente diferente a la
indicada por los parámetros orbitales publicados.
A pesar de las dificultades, la observación fue todo un éxito, como se
puede ver en esta imagen. La posición de Herschel está señalada por dos
líneas a la derecha del centro de la imagen. Las estrellas aparecen como
líneas porque los astrónomos estaban siguiendo el movimiento del
satélite en el firmamento.
Herschel ya se encuentra en una órbita alrededor del Sol, y volverá a acercarse a nuestro planeta dentro de unos 13 años.
A partir de ahora, determinar su órbita con precisión será muy
importante, ya que cada vez será más difícil de observar a medida que se
aleje de la Tierra.
Los telescopios gemelos Faulkes, uno en Hawái y el otro en Australia,
forman parte de un proyecto educativo diseñado para proporcionar acceso a
los estudiantes a instalaciones aptas para la investigación. A lo largo
de los años 2014 y 2015, los telescopios Faulkes apoyarán a la misión
Rosetta de la ESA a medida que se aproxime y acompañe al cometa
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Herschel’s view of the Horsehead Nebula
Stunning new view from ESA’s Herschel space observatory of the iconic
Horsehead Nebula in the context of its surroundings. The image is a
composite of the wavelengths of 70 microns (blue), 160 microns (green)
and 250 microns (red), and covers 4.5x1.5 degrees. The image is oriented
with northeast towards the left of the image and southwest towards the
right.
The Horsehead Nebula resides in the constellation Orion, about 1300 light-years away, and is part of the vast Orion Molecular Cloud complex. The Horsehead appears to rise above the surrounding gas and dust in the far right-hand side of this scene, and points towards the bright Flame Nebula. Intense radiation streaming away from newborn stars heats up the surrounding dust and gas, making it shine brightly to Herschel’s infrared-sensitive eyes (shown in pink and white in this image).
To the left, the panoramic view also covers two other prominent sites where massive stars are forming, NGC 2068 and NGC 2071.
Extensive networks of cool gas and dust weave throughout the scene in the form of red and yellow filaments, some of which may host newly forming low-mass stars.
The Horsehead Nebula resides in the constellation Orion, about 1300 light-years away, and is part of the vast Orion Molecular Cloud complex. The Horsehead appears to rise above the surrounding gas and dust in the far right-hand side of this scene, and points towards the bright Flame Nebula. Intense radiation streaming away from newborn stars heats up the surrounding dust and gas, making it shine brightly to Herschel’s infrared-sensitive eyes (shown in pink and white in this image).
To the left, the panoramic view also covers two other prominent sites where massive stars are forming, NGC 2068 and NGC 2071.
Extensive networks of cool gas and dust weave throughout the scene in the form of red and yellow filaments, some of which may host newly forming low-mass stars.
Credits: ESA/Herschel/PACS, SPIRE/N. Schneider, Ph. André, V. Könyves (CEA Saclay, France) for the “Gould Belt survey” Key Programme
ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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