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.
In a new study, a team of astrophysicists led by CU Boulder has set out to unravel the mysteries of UFOs—not the alien spacecraft, but a class of unusually large and red galaxies that researchers have nicknamed Ultra-red ...
Astronomy
Nov 21, 2024
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A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2024
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Evidence suggests that carbon nanotubes, tiny tubes consisting of pure carbon, could be forged in the envelopes of dust and gas surrounding dying stars. The findings propose a simple, yet elegant mechanism for the formation ...
Nanophysics
Jun 17, 2022
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