Herschel Infrared Observatory

At the time of its launch on 14 May 2009, the Herschel carried the most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space. It was launched from the ESA Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana along with the Planck microwave observatory. Herschel is the first observatory to cover the entire range from far-infrared to submillimeter wavelengths, exploring further into the far-infrared than any previous mission. This enables it to observe otherwise invisible dusty and cold regions of space.

One of the star-forming regions that has been observed is M-16, the Eagle Nebula.