What Is Cosmic Dust?

Cosmic dust is tiny bits of stuff floating around in space, like glitter from a celestial party.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, maybe a small car or a block. Now imagine that toy got broken into really tiny pieces, so small, you can’t even see them without a special magnifying glass. That's kind of what cosmic dust is like: it’s made up of very small bits from rocks, ice, and other things that have been floating around in space for a long time.

Sometimes, when planets or comets bump into each other or break apart, they send out little pieces, just like when you shake a box of confetti, some bits fly out. These tiny pieces travel through space and can even end up on Earth, sometimes as part of meteors or asteroids, or even in our atmosphere.

Cosmic dust helps make stars and planets, like how you use building blocks to make a tower. It’s also what gives the night sky its sparkle, that’s why we see stars shining so brightly, even from far away!