Herschel Space Observatory

The Herschel Space Observatory was a space observatory built by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was the largest infrared telescope ever put into orbit until the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Herschel was named after Sir William Herschel, the discoverer of the infrared spectrum, double stars, and planet Uranus.

The device was sensitive to the far infrared and sub-millimetre short wavebands. It had a single mirror of  in diameter.

The observatory was carried into orbit in May 2009. It was at the second Lagrangian point (L2) of the Earth-Sun system. At these points, 1,500,000 kilometres (930,000 miles) from the Earth, gravity balances, so the object stays in place.

The Herschel Observatory could record ('see') the coldest and dustiest objects in space. For example, dusty galaxies just starting to form new stars.ESA Science & Technology: Herschel. Retrieved on 28 July 2010 The United States, through NASA, worked with the ESA to build and operate the observatory. It was the fourth 'cornerstone' mission in the ESA science program, along with Rosetta, Planck, and Gaia.

The observatory was designed to investigate four main topics: 
 Galaxy formation in the early universe and the evolution of galaxies;
 Star formation and its interaction with the interstellar medium;
 Chemical composition of atmospheres and surfaces of Solar System bodies, including planets, comets and moons;
 Molecular chemistry across the universe.

 References 

 Other websites 

ESA Herschel Science Centre
ESA Information on Herschel
NASA Herschel website 
ESA Herschel operations page
ESA video on YouTube
Cardiff School of Physics and Astronomy: Herschel/SPIRE team 

Category:European Space Agency spacecraft
Category:Telescopes
Category:Spacecrafts launched in 2000s