The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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An annotated version of Herschel’s view of Cygnus-X highlighting numerous dense sites of new star formation in the right-hand complex, and the swan-like structure in the left-hand portion of the scene. Powerful radiation and winds from thousands of stars in the OB2 complex undetected at Herschel’s long wavelengths have partly cleared and heated surrounding material, visible as the diffuse blue glow in the centre of the image. A supergiant star identified as G79.29+0.46 has likely ejected the ring of material seen at the bottom of the image.