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.
The space between stars may seem like a barren desert, but over the past few decades scientists have been finding all sorts of interesting chemicals in it. From the precursors to proteins to the building blocks of cell membranes, ...
Astronomy
Jun 10, 2026
0
34
On May 22, 2026, the Pentagon released a second batch of previously classified photos and videos showing what appear to be unexplained flying objects. These file dumps were the culmination of a process that was set in motion ...
Astrobiology
May 27, 2026
25
38
Astronomers may have found an explanation for one of the biggest mysteries revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): why so many galaxies in the early universe appear unexpectedly bright in ultraviolet light. The ...
Our solar system is currently passing through the Local Interstellar Cloud, a region of highly diluted gas and dust between the stars. On its path, Earth continuously accumulates iron-60, a rare radioactive isotope of iron ...
Astronomy
May 17, 2026
0
145
When you think of outer space, you're likely picturing stars, planets and moons. But much of space is filled with clouds of gas, plasma and stardust—known as interstellar clouds.
Astronomy
May 13, 2026
0
134
An international team of astronomers has analyzed the data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to investigate giant molecular clouds in nearby galaxies. The new ...
NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) mission has mapped interstellar ice at an unprecedented scale. Covering regions in our Milky Way galaxy more than ...
Astronomy
Apr 15, 2026
0
41
An international team of astronomers has employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a complex planetary nebula known as NGC 6302. The observations, detailed in a paper published Feb. 25 on the arXiv pre-print ...
Yale junior Donglin Wu leads a new study showing that some of the biggest stars in the universe shed some of the smallest dust particles. It's fitting that Wu's first major scientific journal article as lead author focuses ...
Astronomy
Feb 27, 2026
1
40
A Sydney Ph.D. student has recreated a tiny piece of the universe inside a bottle in her laboratory, producing cosmic dust from scratch. The results shed new light on how the chemical building blocks of life may have formed ...
Astronomy
Feb 2, 2026
0
171
