Properties of Dust

Students carry out a scientific investigation of dust in their classroom, then extend their experience to properties of dust in space.

What Students Do

On graph paper, students produce an analysis of the dust they collect.

Materials You Will Need

• Graph paper
• Magnifying glass (2x and 4x lenses)
• Tweezers,
• Cleaning pad (e.g. Swiffer® or Grab-it® mitts) or paper towel
• Watercolor brushes
• Wide clear packing tape
• Clear metric ruler showing millimeter marks
• Photocopies of “About the Spitzer Space Telescope” and “Resources” (An image of DR21 mentioned in the “Resources” page is located on the Spitzer Space Telescope web site.)  
• Transparency of “Dust in Your Home and Dust in Space”