Interstellar dust as a research area focuses on the physical, chemical, and optical properties of solid particles in the interstellar medium and their roles in astrophysical processes. This field investigates grain composition (e.g., silicates, carbonaceous materials, ices), size distributions, charge states, and surface chemistry, as well as how dust absorbs, scatters, and re-emits radiation, shaping extinction curves and infrared emission. Research examines dust formation and destruction in stellar outflows, shocks, and diffuse clouds, its role in molecular cloud cooling and star and planet formation, and its impact on cosmic abundances, radiative transfer, and observational diagnostics across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted two rare kinds of dust in the dwarf galaxy Sextans A, one of the most chemically primitive galaxies near the Milky Way.
Astronomy
Jan 6, 2026
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Carl Sagan famously said that "We're all made of star stuff." But he didn't elaborate on how that actually happened. Yes, many of the molecules in our bodies could only have been created in massive supernovae explosions—hence ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 15, 2025
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Tiny particles of space dust could be vital for creating the complex molecules needed for life more quickly, scientists say.
Astrobiology
Nov 24, 2025
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27
Space dust provides more than just awe-inspiring pictures like the Pillars of Creation. It can provide the necessary materials to build everything from planets to asteroids. But what it actually looks like, especially in ...
Astronomy
Nov 10, 2025
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This shimmering view of interstellar gas and dust was captured by the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope. The nebula is part of a so-called dark cloud, named LDN 1641. It sits at about 1,300 light-years from Earth, ...
Astronomy
Nov 5, 2025
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New research has found that amino acids, the building blocks of life, may have traveled to Earth on interstellar dust grains, potentially helping kickstart biology as we know it.
Astrobiology
Oct 13, 2025
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Cosmic dust—the tiny particles that help form stars, planets and the chemical building blocks of life—might be much spongier and fluffier than long assumed, according to an international group of scientists.
Astronomy
Sep 29, 2025
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NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help scientists better understand our Milky Way galaxy's less sparkly components—gas and dust strewn between stars, known as the interstellar medium.
Astronomy
Sep 16, 2025
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In a distant galaxy called Makani, particles of dust were warmed by the light of newborn stars before being flung out into space by a massive starburst-driven wind. Over the course of 100 million years, the dust traveled ...
Astronomy
Sep 3, 2025
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10
An international team of astronomers has discovered a massive cloud of gas and dust located in a little-known region of our Milky Way galaxy. The Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) is about 60 parsecs—or 200 light years—long.
Astronomy
Jul 16, 2025
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