This image is taken looking towards a region of the Galaxy in the Eagle constellation, closer to the Galactic center than our Sun. These newborn large stars are catastrophically disrupting their original gas embryos by kicking away their surroundings and excavating giant cavities in the Galaxy.
The Galactic Bubble RCW 120
RCW 120 is a galactic bubble with a large surprise. How large? At least 8 times the mass of the Sun. Nestled in the shell around this large bubble is an embryonic star that looks set to turn into one of the brightest stars in the Galaxy.
Stellar 'Assembly Line in Vulpecula
This image, in the constellation of Vulpecula, shows an entire assembly line of newborn stars. The diffuse glow reveals the widespread cold reservoir of raw material that our Galaxy has in stock for building stars.
Artist's Impression of Herschel
SA's Herschel infrared observatory has an unprecedented view on the cold universe, bridging the gap between what can be observed from the ground and earlier infrared space missions. Infrared radiation can penetrate the gas and dust clouds that hide objects from optical telescopes, looking deep into star-forming regions, galactic centers and planetary systems. Also cooler objects, such as tiny stars and molecular clouds, even galaxies enshrouded in dust that are barely emitting optical light, can be visible in the infrared.
The Rosette Molecular Cloud, seen by Herschel
Infrared image of the Rosette molecular cloud. Herschel collects the infrared light given out by dust and this image is a three-color composite made of wavelengths at 70 microns (blue), 160 microns (green) and 250 microns (red).
Inside the Dark Heart of the Eagle
An unseen stellar nursery comes into view in this Herschel image. Some 700 newly-forming stars are estimated to be crowded into these colorful filaments of dust. The complex is part of a mysterious ring of stars called Gould's Belt.
Cold Gas in the Milky Way
SPIRE infrared image of a reservoir of cold gas in the constellation of the Southern Cross. The region is located about 60° from the Galactic Center, thousands of light-years from Earth.
Reservoir of cold gas in the constellation of the Southern Cross
Five-color infrared image of a reservoir of cold gas in the constellation of the Southern Cross. The region is located about 60° from the Galactic Center, thousands of light-years from Earth.
M74 at Different Wavelengths
SPIRE images of galaxy M74 at three different infrared wavelengths. These wavelengths are the equivalent of blue, green and red colors in the visible spectrum. The images have been processed to bring out the extended structure of the galaxy and to show more detail in the background sky.
Herschel' Test View of M51
Glowing light from clouds of dust and gas around and between the stars is visible clearly. These clouds are a reservoir of raw material for ongoing star formation in this galaxy. Blue indicates regions of warm dust that is heated by young stars, while the colder dust shows up in red.