Herschel: the first science highlights Special feature Letter to the Editor The Vega debris disc: A view from Herschel

We present five band imaging of the Vega debris disc obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory. These data span a wavelength range of 70−500 μm with full-width half-maximum angular resolutions of 5.6−36.9′′. The disc is well resolved in all bands, with the ring structure visible at 70 and 160 μm. Radial profiles of the disc surface brightness are produced, and a disc radius of 11′ ′ (∼85 AU) is determined. The disc is seen to have a smooth structure thoughout the entire wavelength range, suggesting that the disc is in a steady state, rather than being an ephemeral structure caused by the recent collision of two large planetesimals