In reply to: Matt Genge Uses Dust From Space to Tell the Story of the Solar System | Quanta Magazine
Astronomers have always focused on stars and galaxies. They literally are the bright sparkling bits of astronomy that everybody gets drawn to. But actually, dust is one of the most important parts of astronomy, because OK, the stars sit there producing elements that eventually make planets, but it’s the dust that delivers that stuff from stars to planets. If it wasn’t for the dust, our universe would be a pretty mundane place: flickering stars with nothing around them. The dust links stars with everything else, with all the planets, all the living things on those planets. It’s the dust that’s responsible, ultimately.
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