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Dust

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A world map illustrating the movement and distribution of dust particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

What is Dust?

Dust is made of tiny pieces of solid matter. It can float in the air and comes from many places. Wind can lift soil into the sky. Inside homes, dust is mostly dead skin cells. It also has tiny pieces of plant pollen, human hair, animal fur, bits from clothes and paper, and minerals from soil.

Dust in the Air

Dust can travel far through the air. For example, dust from the Sahara Desert can reach places like the Caribbean and the Amazon basin. This dust can change the temperature and affect rainfall in those areas.

Dust in Space

There is also dust in outer space. This cosmic dust helps form planetary systems. The beautiful tails seen behind comets are made from dust and gas leaving the comet's body. Even planets like Mars can have huge dust storms that cover much of their surface.

Images

A massive dust storm rolling toward the town of Stratford, Texas during the Dust Bowl era in 1935.
A close-up of dust buildup on a laptop's cooling part, showing how regular cleaning helps keep computers running well.
A close-up of dust particles on a finger, showing how tiny particles can stick to our skin.
A satellite view of a dust storm sweeping across Libya, showing how wind moves sand and dust across the landscape.
A magnified view of tiny dust particles found in homes, showing how they look under a microscope.
A close-up of dust particles captured on a ribbon, showing the natural occurrence of household dust.
Satellite view of a dust storm over southeastern Australia, showing how dry, windy weather can carry dust across large areas.
A satellite view of a dust plume from Argentina mixing with colorful ocean waters full of tiny plants, creating a beautiful natural pattern from space.
A large dust storm stretching from Saudi Arabia across Kuwait into Iran, captured by satellite. The thick dust plume obscures the view of the land below and mixes with clouds in the area.
A close-up photo of dust bunnies, showing how dust and debris collect in corners and under furniture.
Map showing how dust is deposited around the world

Related articles

Matter
Soil
Pollen
Paper
Sahara
Caribbean

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Dust, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.