›From Atoms to Pebbles: Herschel’s view of Star and Planet Formation

How do stars and planets form and evolve in time?

Since mid-2009, the Herschel Space Observatory provides new light on these long-standing astrophysical questions. With its 3.5m primary mirror, it delivers observations in the 55-671 micrometer range with unprecedented sensitivity, spatial and spectral resolution, revolutionising our understanding of the star and planet formation processes.

The symposium will bring together researchers in Star and Planet Formation from around the world. At the time of the conference, most of the observations for the Herschel Guaranteed Time and Open Time Key Projects will have been carried out, and Open Time 1 projects will have largely started. Data reduction will have significantly improved, and in-depth data analysis and detailed modelling will be ongoing. The symposium will thus offer a great opportunity to share the new exciting results obtained with Herschel and to leverage on them for the scientific exploitation of new facilities like ALMA, as well as for triggering new modelling efforts.