The Herschel Space Observatory: results and expectations one year after launch

Launched on 14 May 2009, the Herschel space observatory is now fully operational since more than one year ago, and is providing us already with a totally new view of our Universe at far infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. With its 3.5 m diameter primary mirror, Herschel is the largest space observatory ever launched into space and it carries onboard three science instruments, whose focal plane units are cryogenically cooled inside a superfluid helium cryostat. Here we present a few highlights of the main scientific results obtained by this mission in its first year of in-flight operations. The results obtained by Herschel cover all astrophysical areas, from our Solar System to the most distant galaxies. As originally envisaged, Herschel is allowing us to study with an unprecedented detail the mechanisms which govern the formation of stars in our Galaxy and beyond, as well as to determine the star formation processes that took place in other galaxies when the Universe was only one tenth of the age it has now. In addition, Herschel is providing us with a wealth of spectral information about the chemical constituents of the interestellar and circumstellar medium, delivering data which may be crucial to understand many aspects related to the overall chemical evolution of our Universe and, in particular, the origin of water in our Solar System and of the complex molecules which are known to be the building blocks of life. With a designed lifetime of at least 3 full years of routine scientific operations Herschel has a promising future ahead and many more exciting results are yet expected to come in the next few years.