Where does dust matter?

Summary prepared by Alyssa Goodman, Harvard University. Intended for use by the general public See also: Stardust page.

• Chemistry of the Universe

• Planetary Rings

• Comets

• Interplanetary Medium

• Oort Cloud/Kuiper Belt/Protostellar Disks

• Space Travel (impacts of larger particles can be dangerous)

• Evolved Stars/Nucleation of Dust in Stellar Atmospheres/Mass Loss (Winds from Cool Stars (OH-IR stars, M giants & supergiants, and carbon stars) contribute 90% of the dust in the Interstellar Medium)

• Circumstellar Shells

• Nucleation of Dust in Supernova Ejecta?

• Interstellar Medium

• Molecular Clouds

• Star Formation

• Planet Formation

• Extinction, Galactic

• Extinction, Extragalactic

• Cosmological Questions/Understanding Cosmic Background