Interstellar dust

If it were not for interstellar dust, molecular gas and stars would not exist at all.

Interstellar dust hides half of all the optical light ever emitted by stars and galaxies. However, until only a few years ago it was not even clear where and how this dust was made. Our group has shown that the majority of dust is made in supernovae. With detailed observations of SN 1987A, the closest supernova since the invention of the telescope, we are investigating how dust and molecular gas is made in these titanic explosions.