clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk   
The first Herschel image has come earlier than expected
Europe's new Herschel space observatory has provided a demonstration of its capability with a first image of the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy
The billion-euro telescope opened its "eyes" to the cosmos last Sunday

Herschel spied the galaxy, also known as M51, with its Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS).

Scientists stress Herschel is still in its commissioning phase
They need to learn how best to operate the facility

Scientists connected with the mission said they were "ecstatic" with the results.

nobody in their right mind would ever have predicted such a quality at the very first attempt
HERSCHEL SPACE TELESCOPE
Herschel (Esa)
The observatory is tuned to see the Universe in the far-infrared
Its 3.5m diameter mirror is the largest ever flown in space
Herschel can probe clouds of gas and dust to see stars being born
It will investigate how galaxies have evolved through time
The mission will end when its helium refrigerant boils off