cosmic dust
Interstellar fine debris
Cosmic dust is the fine particles of matter scattered throughout space—remnants of stars, asteroids, comets, and planetary collisions.
These microscopic grains drift between galaxies, collect in nebulae, and sometimes enter Earth's atmosphere as meteors.
Scientists study cosmic dust to understand the formation of the solar system.
The term evokes the vast, ancient material from which planets and stars eventually coalesce.
Silicon-oxygen bonded minerals
- ice crystalsSolid water formations
- organic moleculesCarbon-containing chemical structures
- graphiteCrystalline carbon allotrope
- olivineGreen igneous rock mineral
pyroxene · diamond · magnesium · metallic · refractory · volatiles · chondrite · presolar grains
Atomic core formation process
- primordialExisting from the start
- collisionsForceful contacts between objects
- astrochemistryStudy of cosmic substances
- starbirthOrigin of a sun
Microscopic extraterrestrial particles
- meteor showersVisible atmospheric debris streams
- shooting starsVisible meteors entering atmosphere
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
Interstellar gas formation
- galaxyGravitationally bound stellar mass
- Milky WayGalaxy containing Earth
- supernovaExploding massive star
- cometIcy orbiting body
meteoroid · asteroid · solar wind · celestial · Oort cloud · Kuiper belt · stellar wind · circumstellar
Submillimeter material composition
- crystallineClear, ordered, brilliant
- amorphousWithout distinct shape
- ultrafineExceptionally small in size
- nanoparticlesUltrafine material fragments
electron microscopy · grain size · angstroms · nanoscale · porous · scattering · spectroscopy
silicates
Silicon-oxygen bonded minerals
- ice crystalsSolid water formations
- organic moleculesCarbon-containing chemical structures
- graphiteCrystalline carbon allotrope
olivine · pyroxene · diamond · magnesium · metallic · refractory · volatiles · chondrite · presolar grains · isotopes
nucleosynthesis
Atomic core formation process
- primordialExisting from the start
- collisionsForceful contacts between objects
- astrochemistryStudy of cosmic substances
starbirth · accretion · condensation · outgassing · mass loss
micrometeorites
Microscopic extraterrestrial particles
- meteor showersVisible atmospheric debris streams
- shooting starsVisible meteors entering atmosphere
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
nebula
Interstellar gas formation
- galaxyGravitationally bound stellar mass
- Milky WayGalaxy containing Earth
- supernovaExploding massive star
comet · meteoroid · asteroid · solar wind · celestial · Oort cloud · Kuiper belt · stellar wind · circumstellar · interplanetary
microstructure
Submillimeter material composition
- crystallineClear, ordered, brilliant
- amorphousWithout distinct shape
- ultrafineExceptionally small in size
nanoparticles · electron microscopy · grain size · angstroms · nanoscale · porous · scattering · spectroscopy
cosmic duststar
Luminous astronomical object
planet · galaxy · sun · black hole · neutron star
dust, cosmic, cosmology, cosmologist, cosmological, cosmically, microcosmic