Herschel Space Observatory

Mission Characteristics

Description: The Herschel Space Observatory is a 3.5 meter telescope observing the Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Universe.
Lifetime: 14 May 2009 - 29 April 2013
Wavelength: 55 µm - 671 µm
Area Coverage: Targeted observations
Instruments:
  • Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS)
    Imaging bands centered at 70, 100, and 160 µm
    Spectroscopy: 55-210 µm, R=1000-5000

  • Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE)
    Imaging: 250, 350, 500 µm
    Spectrometer: 194-671 µm, R=20-1000

  • Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) 1.9-0.49THz (157 - 625 µm); R=1e6-1e7
Science Products Generated:
  • Raw and calibrated data from PACS, SPIRE, and HIFI
  • Herschel User-provided data (Key Program and Open Time)
Funding Agency: Herschel is an ESA mission with participation from NASA
Canonical Paper: Herschel Mission - Pilbratt et al. (2010)
PACS - Poglitsch et al. (2010)
SPIRE - Griffin et al. (2010)
HIFI - de Graauw et al. (2010)
Please include the following standard acknowledgment in any published material that makes use of Herschel data products: "Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. " If you are receiving NASA funding please follow the acknowledgments guidelines.

IRSA Services

Herschel Data Search Search for Herschel observations
Data Discovery Service Explore infrared data sets, including Herschel observation metadata

Mission-provided Data Products

HHLI: Herschel High Level Images PACS and SPIRE images
PACS Point Source Catalog (PPSC) PACS catalogs
SPIRE Point Source Catalog (SPSC) SPIRE catalogs
Herschel HIFI Highly Processed Data Products (HPDP) HIFI spectra, cubes, and spectral maps
Herschel PACS Highly Processed Data Products (PHPDP) PACS images
Herschel SPIRE Highly Processed Data Products (SHPDP) SPIRE spectra and spectral cubes

Selected User-provided Data Sets - Galactic

Auriga-California Molecular Cloud PACS and SPIRE images and source catalog
Galactic Cold Cores: A Herschel Survey of the Source Populations Revealed by Planck PACS and SPIRE images
DIGIT: Dust, Ice, and Gas in Time PACS and SPIRE spectra
DUNES: Dust Around Nearby Stars PACS and SPIRE images and catalog
eHOPS: Extension of HOPS Out to 500 ParSecs Catalogs, SED model fits
GOT Cplus: Galactic Observations of Terahertz C+ HIFI spectra
HEXOS: Herschel observations of EXtra-Ordinary Sources HIFI spectra
HGBS: Herschel Gould Belt Survey PACS and SPIRE images and catalogs
HIFISTARS: The physical and chemical properties of circumstellar environments around evolved stars HIFI spectra
Hi-GAL: Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey Catalogs
HOP: Herschel Oxygen Project HIFI spectra
HOPS: Herschel Orion Protostar Survey PACS imaging, Spitzer IRAC & MIPS imaging, Spitzer IRS spectra, SED model fits
MESS: Mass-loss of Evolved StarS PACS images
PPDISKS: SPIRE Spectroscopy of Protoplanetary Disks SPIRE spectra
PRISMAS: PRobing InterStellar Molecules with Absorption line Studies HIFI spectra
SAG-4: Evolution of Interstellar Dust PACS and SPIRE images and spectra
V838MON: Properties of the Dust and Gas in the Environs of V838 Monocerotis PACS and SPIRE images and spectra
More Additional User Provided Data Products available at ESA

Selected User-provided Data Sets - Extragalactic

GOALS: Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey PACS and SPIRE images
GOODS: Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey PACS and SPIRE images and catalogs
H-ATLAS: Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey PACS and SPIRE images and catalogs
HELGA: Herschel Exploitation of the Local Galaxy Andromeda PACS and SPIRE images
HERITAGE: HERschel Inventory of the Agents of Galaxy Evolution PACS and SPIRE images and catalogs
HERUS: HERschel Ultra Luminous InfraRed Galaxy Survey SPIRE spectra
HerM33es: Herschel M33 Extended Survey PACS and SPIRE images
HerMES: Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey SPIRE and PACS images and source catalogs
HeVICS: Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey PACS and SPIRE images
KINGFISH: Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: A Far-Infrared Survey PACS and SPIRE images, PACS spectral maps and cubes
Herschel Maps of Local Group Galaxies PACS and SPIRE images
MAGCLOUDSCPLUS: Characterizing the transition from diffuse atomic to dense molecular clouds in the Magellanic clouds with [CII], [CI], and CO HIFI spectra
PEP: PACS Evolutionary Probe PACS images and catalogs
VNGS: Very Nearby Galaxy Survey PACS and SPIRE images and spectra
More Additional User Provided Data Products available at ESA

Selected User-provided Data Sets - Solar System

COOLTNOs: TNOs are Cool! - A Survey of the trans-Neptunian Region PACS images
SBNAF: Small Bodies Near And Far PACS images

Other Resources:

Herschel Science Archive Search for Herschel data at ESA
HSA Astroquery interface Access the Herschel Science Archive at ESA using Astroquery in Python
ESA Herschel Science Center ESA project science center
NASA Herschel Science Center NASA project science center
Herschel Observing Log Log of all science observations performed by Herschel