Dust, blowing in the wind
Monday, April 25, 2011 - 10:30
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Interstellar space contains vast quantities of dust that obscures our view while helping to catalyze the chemical reactions that turn atomic gases into complex molecular species. Most dust is made in the winds of older stars (called asymptotic giant branch, "AGB," stars) that have completed the hydrogen burning phase of their lives. The sun is still in its "main-sequence" stage of life. Astronomers think that the process of dust manufacturing is quite general, and is also responsible for dust seen in the early universe. Although dust production is important, exactly how it is made remains a mystery.