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An extreme example of visible light extinction, caused by a dark nebula. In astronomy, extinction is the absorption and scattering of electromagnetic radiation by dust and gas between an emitting astronomical object and the observer. Interstellar extinction was first documented as such in 1930 by Robert Julius Trumpler.
Dark nebulae are dark because naked interstellar dust or dust covered with condensed gases absorb visible light by extinction and remit infrared and submillimetre radiation. Infrared emission from the dust cools the clouds down to 10 to 20 K. [ 63 ] The largest dark nebula are giant molecular clouds that contain 10 thousand to 10 million solar ...
Cosmic dust – also called extraterrestrial dust, space dust, or star dust – is dust that occurs in outer space or has fallen onto Earth. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and 0.1 mm (100 μm ), such as micrometeoroids (<30 μm) and meteoroids (>30 μm). [ 3 ]
The interstellar medium is composed of multiple phases distinguished by whether matter is ionic, atomic, or molecular, and the temperature and density of the matter. The interstellar medium is composed primarily of hydrogen , followed by helium with trace amounts of carbon , oxygen , and nitrogen . [ 1 ]
The transport of the material from the outer disk can mix these newly formed dust grains with primordial ones, which contain organic matter and other volatiles. This mixing can explain some peculiarities in the composition of Solar System bodies such as the presence of interstellar grains in primitive meteorites and refractory inclusions in comets.
The following tables list molecules that have been detected in the interstellar medium or circumstellar matter, grouped by the number of component atoms. Neutral molecules and their molecular ions are listed in separate columns; if there is no entry in the molecule column, only the ionized form has been detected. Designations (names of ...
The density of matter in the interstellar medium can vary considerably: the average is around 10 6 particles per m 3, [136] but cold molecular clouds can hold 10 8 –10 12 per m 3. [39] [134] A number of molecules exist in interstellar space, which can form dust particles as tiny as 0.1 μm. [137]
Physical cosmology is a branch of cosmology concerned with the study of cosmological models. A cosmological model, or simply cosmology, provides a description of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and allows study of fundamental questions about its origin, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate. [1]