Cosmic dust

Cosmic dust consists of tiny solid particles dispersed through interstellar space and planetary systems. It absorbs and scatters light, supplies material for planet formation, and carries elements produced by stars.

Interstellar extinction: The dimming and reddening of starlight as dust absorbs and scatters it. Dust grains make distant stars appear fainter and redder than they would otherwise.
Silicate minerals: Minerals built from silicon–oxygen units combined with other elements. Silicates make up a major component of cosmic grains and leave diagnostic infrared features.
Asymptotic giant branch star: A cool, luminous late-stage star with an extended atmosphere and strong mass loss. Winds from these stars condense abundant grains and inject them into interstellar space.
Infrared astronomy: Astronomy that studies celestial radiation at infrared wavelengths. Warm dust emits strongly in the infrared, revealing regions obscured at visible wavelengths.
Star formation: The process by which dense regions of gas collapse to form stars. Dust shields cold cloud interiors from radiation, helping gas cool and collapse.
Interstellar polarization: The preferential alignment of starlight polarization caused by aligned dust grains. Aligned grains reveal magnetic-field structure through the polarization they imprint on light.
Carbonaceous dust: Cosmic solid material composed chiefly of carbon-bearing compounds. Carbon-rich grains account for distinctive ultraviolet absorption and infrared emission.
Core-collapse supernova: The explosive death of a massive star after its core collapses. Ejecta can cool and form fresh dust, though later shocks destroy some of it.
Submillimeter astronomy: Astronomy that observes electromagnetic radiation between infrared and radio wavelengths. Cold grains radiate at submillimeter wavelengths, allowing their mass and distribution to be mapped.
Planet formation: The development of planets from gas and solid material around young stars. Dust grains are the starting solids whose collisions can build planetesimals.

Linked from 8 pages