The Herschel Space Observatory (formerly called FIRST) workshop at Toledo
Herschel Space Observatory's main research topics include the formation of galaxies and stars. However,
Herschel's observing time will be open to the world scientific community and therefore astronomers will discuss
how to prioritise the use of the telescope. This is one of the goals of the workshop 'The promise of FIRST', to be held in Toledo (Spain),
on 12-15 December. An updated review of the infrared discoveries so far will be presented by some of the most outstanding infrared astronomers.
At the Herschel workshop in Toledo, as part of ESA's celebration of the discovery of infrared light, ESA will present the publication
"The Infrared Revolution - Unveiling the Hidden Universe". This 45-page brochure is aimed at sharing with the general
public the emotions astronomers feel when exploring the infrared Universe. It tells the story of the onset and development of infrared astronomy, and
explains the discoveries so far.
It also introduces future missions, such as Herschel and the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), to be possibly launched in 2009 as
a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
An electronic version of this publication will be available from December 12 at
http://sci.esa.int, where a special section on Infrared Astronomy, called "The Infrared Revolution", has been
created. This section will also include daily reports from the Toledo workshop.
