Herschel and Galaxies/AGN

Herschel will represent a breakthrough in the study of nearby gas-rich and gas-poor galaxies, as it will for the first time permit imaging photometric and spectroscopic observations of their ISM in the FIR-submm wavelength range. The unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution of Herschel will furthermore yield a breakthrough in our understanding of distant galaxies and AGN, as their gas and dust - both the ISM- and the AGN-related - will for the first time come within reach. Herschel will undoubtedly yield major discoveries concerning the cosmologically evolving gas and dust properties in galaxies, back to very early epochs.
Comment: Invited review, at conference "The Dusty and Molecular Universe - A Prelude to HERSCHEL and ALMA", Paris, 27-29 October 2004