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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Частица межпланетной пыли http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1170762/eng |
Credit: NASA
Explanation:
The dust that pervades our
Solar System is not the dust that pervades our homes.
Solar System dust comes from
comets and
asteroids, whereas
house dust is most likely lint or dead cells.
Pictured above is a piece of
interplanetary dust caught by a high-flying
U2-type aircraft.
It likely originates in the early days of our
Solar System, being stored and later ejected by a
passing comet.
The particle is composed of
glass,
carbon, and a conglomeration of silicate
mineral grains.
It measures only 10
microns across, a tenth the width of a typical
human hair.
NASA's
STARDUST mission,
launched in 1999,
is scheduled to pass through the tail of Comet Wild 2 in 2004 and
return many more
interstellar dust samples to
Earth in 2006.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.