Concept information
Preferred term
Interstellar dust
Definition
- An aggregation of dust grains in the space between stars. Interstellar dust absorbs, scatters, and polarizes the light from distant stars, causing the interstellar extinction. Large dark regions in the plane of the Milky Way and other galaxies are caused by intervening clouds of dust. The conclusive proof for the presence of a general and selective interstellar absorption is due to R. J. Trumpler (1930). (en)
Broader concept
- Interstellar clouds (en)
Narrower concepts
- Carbonaceous grains (en)
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (en)
- Silicate grains (en)
- Very small grains (en)
Entry terms
- Cosmic dust (en)
- Dust grain (en)
- Dust grains (en)
- Interstellar dust clouds (en)
- Interstellar dust grains (en)
- Interstellar grains (en)
Editorial note
URI
http://astrothesaurus.org/uat/836
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