Cosmic dust in the laboratory

Cosmic dust is the carrier of a variety of astrophysical information. With mass spectrometric methods it is possible to study cosmic dust in the laboratory. Stardust, which is found in small quantities in meteorites and comets, provides detailed insights into the physics of the parent stars and in physical and chemical processes in the interstellar medium. Studies of cometary dust, which was recently collected and returned to Earth with the “Stardust” space probe, make it possible to reconstruct important aspects of the history of Solar System formation.