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cosmic dust

An image of a dark brown sphere and its rings is backlit against a black background. The closer rings glow in yellow-orange and are haloed by the dusty ring system in blue-white. Several bright specks are visible.
Posted inNews

Saturn’s Shiny Rings May Be Pretty Young

Kimberly M. S. Cartier, News Writing and Production Intern for Eos.org by Kimberly M. S. Cartier 9 June 20239 June 2023

The rings are fairly shiny despite being bombarded by dust, indicating that they haven’t been around for very long.

An artist’s rendering of three hazy rings surrounding the Sun near the orbits of Mercury, Venus, and Earth
Posted inNews

Mercury Isn’t Alone in Orbit, and Scientists Don’t Know Why

by Jure Japelj 27 February 202324 May 2023

A cloud of dust traces the innermost planet’s orbital path. By all accounts, it shouldn’t be there.

Sunlight reflecting off tiny, interplanetary “cosmic dust” particles
Posted inResearch Spotlights

Cosmic Dust May Be Key Source of Phosphorus for Life on Earth

Sarah Stanley, Science Writer by Sarah Stanley 17 November 202117 November 2021

When tiny particles enter Earth’s atmosphere, a newly described series of chemical reactions may lead to production of phosphorus-containing molecules that are essential for biological processes.

在加那利群岛,一列黄道光在繁星满天的夜空中从泰德山向上延伸。
Posted inResearch Spotlights

形成黄道光的太空尘埃可能来自火星

Sarah Stanley, Science Writer by Sarah Stanley 26 March 20212 February 2022

朱诺号探测器飞往木星途中的偶然发现表明,形成黄道光的太空尘埃可能来自火星,但这些尘埃是如何从火星或其卫星逃逸出来的仍不得而知。

A column of zodiacal light stretches skyward in the star-filled night sky beyond Mount Teide in the Canary Islands.
Posted inResearch Spotlights

The Space Dust That Causes Zodiacal Light Might Come from Mars

Sarah Stanley, Science Writer by Sarah Stanley 12 March 20212 February 2022

Serendipitous observations by the Juno spacecraft while it was en route to Jupiter suggest a Martian source for the dust, but how the dust escapes Mars or its moons remains unknown.

Asteroids smashing into one another
Posted inNews

Dust from Colliding Asteroids Masqueraded as a Planet

Katherine Kornei, Science Writer by Katherine Kornei 20 April 20202 February 2022

New analysis of Hubble Space Telescope images suggests that Fomalhaut b, once believed to be an extrasolar planet, is, in fact, a cloud of dust that likely formed from the collision of enormous asteroids.

a black meteorite sitting on a white table
Posted inNews

Dust Older Than the Sun Sheds Light on Galactic History

Kimberly M. S. Cartier, News Writing and Production Intern for Eos.org by Kimberly M. S. Cartier 23 January 202010 January 2023

A small pile of dust grains older than the Sun brings new evidence about the rate at which stars are born in the Milky Way.

Black-and-white satellite image of the rocky surface of the asteroid Ryugu
Posted inNews

Nearby Asteroid Is Mysteriously Devoid of Dust, Lander Reveals

Katherine Kornei, Science Writer by Katherine Kornei 5 September 201915 February 2022

Close-up images of Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid and the target of the Hayabusa2 sample return mission, reveal a rocky, dustless world that may have formed from a giant collision.

Illustration of a protoplanetary disk surrounding a young star
Posted inNews

Passing Object May Have Kicked Up Dust from a Planetary Disk

Nola Taylor Redd, Science Writer by Nola Taylor Tillman 16 May 20194 April 2023

The elongated tail of the SU Aurigae protoplanetary disk was likely formed as a result of a flyby from a substellar object.

Posted inScience Updates

The Swarm Satellite Trio Studies Earth and Its Environment

by J. Bouffard, R. Floberghagen and N. Olsen 10 May 20192 February 2022

8th Swarm Data Quality Workshop; Frascati, Italy, 8–12 October 2018

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