Images from the Herschel telescope show some of the science of star formation. In the constellation Aquila, clouds of gas and dust give birth to hundreds of stars. All images courtesy of the European Space Agency (Esa).
Herschel is able to measure the properties of stardust. Space is filled with wispy clouds of the dust, and larger clouds eventually give birth to stars.
In this image of the Southern Cross constellation, there are long strands interspersed with small blobs - like beads on a necklace. These beads are "star embryos" - clumps of dust that will one day become stars.
Herschel can look deep into space and capture thousands of galaxies at once. Scientists' analysis of these images could reveal how these galaxies came into existence.
This is the spiral galaxy M81. Herschel has revealed that the dust is warmest in the centre region of the galaxy. Its images could also help discover if M81 is losing material to the tidal pull of a neighbouring galaxy.
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