Abstract:

Herschel, an infrared space observatory launched on 14 May 2009, carries the largest (3.5m) and most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space. A pioneering mission lead by the European Space Agency (ESA) with participations from other countries (including NASA and JAXA), 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. In this lecture, I will introduce this fascinating space mission to you, and tell you how it achieves its hefty goals.