News tagged with cosmic dust

In glowing, swirling dust, new stars are born

(PhysOrg.com) -- An image taken by UA astrophotographer Adam Block, chosen by NASA as Astronomy Picture of the Day, brings us the best yet glimpse into a stellar nursery about 450 light years away from Earth.

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Dec 09, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 3

In the heart of Cygnus, NASA's Fermi reveals a cosmic-ray cocoon

(PhysOrg.com) -- The constellation Cygnus, now visible in the western sky as twilight deepens after sunset, hosts one of our galaxy's richest-known stellar construction zones. Astronomers viewing the region ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Nov 28, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (12) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

The cool clouds of Carina

(PhysOrg.com) -- Observations made with the APEX telescope in submillimetre-wavelength light reveal the cold dusty clouds from which stars form in the Carina Nebula. This site of violent star formation, which ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Nov 16, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Herschel Space Observatory discovers source of cosmic dust in a stellar explosion

(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA's Herschel Space Observatory is helping unravel the mystery of where cosmic dust comes from. Thanks to the resolution and sensitivity of Herschel, astronomers have been able to detect ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Jul 07, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Strongest evidence yet indicates Enceladus hiding saltwater ocean

(PhysOrg.com) -- Samples of icy spray shooting from Saturn's moon Enceladus collected during Cassini spacecraft flybys show the strongest evidence yet for the existence of a large-scale, subterranean saltwater ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jun 22, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (23) | comments 29 | with audio podcast

Researchers develop new model to predict the optical properties of nanostructures

University of British Columbia chemists have developed a new model to predict the optical properties of non-conducting ultra-fine particles.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Mar 24, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Making stars: Studies show how cosmic dust and gas shape galaxy evolution

Astronomers find cosmic dust annoying when it blocks their view of the heavens, but without it the universe would be devoid of stars. Cosmic dust is the indispensable ingredient for making stars and for understanding ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Nov 22, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

'Necropanspermia' suggested as a way of seeding life on Earth

(PhysOrg.com) -- Panspermia is a mechanism for spreading organic material throughout the galaxy, but the destructive effects of cosmic rays and ultraviolet light tend to mean most organisms would be destroyed ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 12, 2010 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (32) | comments 47 | with audio podcast report

Study: Meteorites point to our solar system as source of organic materials

Tiny meteorites found in ultra-pure Antarctic snow may provide scientists with evidence that the building blocks of life may have come from within our own solar system, rather than from the far reaches of ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 11, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (11) | comments 2

Peek Into the Depths of the Universe - With Your iPhone

(PhysOrg.com) -- Transient Events, a new iPhone application for amateur and professional astronomers and anyone interested in the universe, highlights cosmic events such as exploding supernovae, comets traveling ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Apr 15, 2010 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Blushing dusty nebula

On Earth, we tend to find dust nothing more than a nuisance that blankets our furniture and causes us to sneeze. Cosmic dust can also be a hindrance to astronomers because cameras using visible light cannot ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Dec 01, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Astronomers seek to explore the cosmic Dark Ages

No place seems safe from the prying eyes of inquisitive astronomers. They've traced the evolution of the universe back to the "Big Bang," the theoretical birth of the cosmos 13.7 billion years ago, but there's still a long ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Oct 15, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (10) | comments 1

Sophisticated telescope camera debuts with peek at nest of black holes

Less than two months after they inaugurated the world's largest telescope, University of Florida astronomers have used one of the world's most advanced telescopic instruments to gather images of the heavens.

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Sep 15, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (13) | comments 0

Space Porch Open for Business

(PhysOrg.com) -- The International Space Station has a new "engawa" -- and it's open for business.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Aug 10, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Astronomer's new guide to the galaxy: Largest map of cold dust revealed

This new guide for astronomers, known as the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL) shows the Milky Way in submillimetre-wavelength light (between infrared light and radio waves). Images ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Jul 01, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 1

Cosmic dust

Cosmic dust is a type of dust composed of particles in space which are a few molecules to 0.1 mm in size. Cosmic dust can be further distinguished by its astronomical location; for example: intergalactic dust, interstellar dust (potentially concentrated in a nebula), interplanetary dust (such as in a circumstellar disk) and circumplanetary dust (such as in a planetary ring).

In our own Solar System, interplanetary dust causes the zodiacal light. Sources include comet dust, asteroidal dust, dust from the Kuiper belt, and interstellar dust passing through our solar system.

For more information about Cosmic dust, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.