Dust light (summary)

Aerospace
Astronomy
Astrophysics

Dust is a predominant element in planetary systems and often represents the main source of light radiation after the central star. In the 1990s the question arose as to the possible presence of dust in newly-discovered extrasolar planetary systems and the possibility that this dust hindered the detection of other habitable planets, which is a major goal in 21st century astronomy. For eight years, Olivier Absil and several French researchers studied some forty stars to try to determine whether they contained hot dust near or inside their habitable zone. Bottom line: the phenomenon is relatively common in solar-type systems.

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