NASA's Cassini space probe has sampled millions of interstellar dust as the spacecraft orbits around Saturn. These "alien" dust particles that have travelled in between stars could shed light on what lies beyond the solar system.
Scientists, who are part of the program, have hoped since 2004 that Cassini will detect these microscopic dust particles. In recent years, the spacecraft was able to analyze the details and chemical make up of 36 dust particles.
Interstellar dust consists of gas, such as helium, and other heavy metals from the condensation process of planets and stars. These gases are considered as the raw material that acts as building blocks for Earth and other terrestrial planets.
In the past, astronomers would usually study the universe beyond the solar system through telescopes by analyzing the light emitted by stars. This method could determine the chemical composition, structure and even surface temperature of stars.
If telescopes can observe the cosmos outside the solar system to gather valuable data, the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) could shed light on what lies beyond the solar system by detecting interstellar dust particles and their chemical composition. These were the ones detected in a nearer location, the ringed planet.
Dust Particles Destroyed And Reformed
The analysis has revealed that interstellar dust particles are very similar in structure and composition. They contain heavy metals such as magnesium, silicon, iron and calcium.
Cosmic dust is produced when stars die, but because of the vast range of stars found throughout the universe, the scientists expect to see variations in their chemical contents.
In the past, scientists believed that dust particles in space can survive the energy-rich environment for only a few hundred million years and only a few will survive and reach new planetary systems. The findings show that these dusts are indeed destroyed, but are reformed later on.
This discovery surprised scientists and they believe that the dust particles were originally different to start with, then they become homogenized. Passing through interstellar space may have made the particles identical as a resulting of an unknown process.
The scientists said that these dust particles could have been destroyed and recondensed several times, shaping the same exact particles every time.
Interstellar Dust To Shed Light On What Lies Beyond The Solar System
Interstellar dust particles may shed more light on cosmic bodies and the universe. These could provide a better understanding of how stars, planets and the whole universe take shape - a mystery that has been puzzling scientists for a very long time.
The chemical composition of the dust particles and how they become similar provides a starting point for scientists to study further locations outside the solar system.
Photo: Kevin Gill | Flickr
