Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Dust has long been recognized in astronomy; it is only in recent years, how ever, that it has been seen aas both important and active. Infrared, millim etre and submillimetre wave astronomy are now unravelling the chemistry and composition of interstellar dust, showing that it includes silicate and ca rbon grains, hydrocarbon molecules, and ices. Far from just obscuring the v iew, dust is providing new was to understand the workings of the universe.