Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way

After striking images of the Milky Way, Herschel Observatory intends to conduct a larger study thanks to two Spire - Pacs devices, but the plan is slowing down because scientists want to clarify the problem. Hifi.

The Herschel Observatory in Europe has taken striking images of the Milky Way thanks to a special scanning mode that the telescope is installed. The photos reveal the subtle details after the dense cold air clouds - the origin of the newborn stars.

The Herschel Observatory has one of the largest lenses placed on a telescope around orbit, which was launched in May as the most important task of the European Space Agency.

Picture 1 of Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way Picture 2 of Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way

The image with wavelengths from 70-110 micrometers was captured by the Pacs device (left);Photo with wavelengths from 250-500 micrometers captured by Spire device (right)

Adjusted to be able to observe far infrared waves, Herschel is expected to provide significant insights into the fundamental process of forming the universe.

Herschel's great improvement in sensitivity allowed him to see what was beyond the vision of other telescopes like Hubble. The primary goal is to understand the mechanism that governs the first period of the birth of a star.

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Herchel's special scanning mode means that it must increase the ability to see far away from the sky, if the Moon is observed, the Moon will grow 16 times larger than observed from Earth.
The telescope looks towards the plane of the Milky Way, in the direction of the constellation of the Southern Cross.

Picture 3 of Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way

Combining 2 photos of 2 devices showed an infrared image.

Scanning mode works with two of Herschel's three devices. These are Spire and Pacs

Spire camera (Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver) invented by the UK reacts to longer wavelengths of light (250–500 micrometers, 500-1000 times the wavelength of light we see with the naked eye ).

Pacs camera (Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer) developed by Germany records shorter wavelengths (70-170 microns)

Photos taken reveal a chaotic landscape of gas and dust, and stars at every stage of development. The observed materials are very cold materials - usually lower than -170 o C.

Picture 4 of Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way

Cold gas reservoir in the South Cross constellation

Investigation of abnormalities

Scientists think the photos are very informative.

Professor Matt Griffin, of Cardiff University, tracks the Spire camera for information about the wavelengths of light that tell us the details about physics. Spire is particularly effective when observing cold and dilated materials like stars formed in the first stage.

Pacs are more sensitive to warmer materials, although compared to normal standards, these materials are extremely cold. These materials may be closer to the area where the stars formed.

Herschel will be used to study the wider areas of the Milky Way thanks to the Spire scan mode - Pacs, of course the two devices will still work independently.

Picture 5 of Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way

Picture 6 of Herschel opened the hidden corners of the Milky Way

Herschel Telescope

The intended implementation period is in the next few weeks. However, the current HiFi device does not work due to an error.

Engineers can start the backup system to re-activate the spectral device (Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared), but they do not intend to do this until the satisfactory cause of the abnormality is understood. clearly.

HiFi is a spectral device created by the Netherlands to identify elements and molecules that form stars in gas and dust clouds.