Scientists 'Dust' Off Mystery Shrouding Planet, Star Formations, Courtesy Supernovas

New observations suggest that planets and stars owe their existence to supernovas.

According to The New York Times, Cornell University researchers have identified the source of dust in galaxies, which gives rise to stars and planets. Dust's origin has been a mystery for scientists who could not understand how galaxies formed immediately after Big Bang, had dust. Researchers have found the answer in supernovas.

"Dust itself is very important because it's the stuff that forms stars and planets, like the sun and Earth, respectively, so to know where it comes from is an important question. Our work strongly reinforces the theory that supernovae are producing the dust seen in galaxies of the early universe," said study's lead author Ryan Lau.

Lau and his team made the observations aboard a modified Boeing Aircraft observatory where they studied infrared data from a 10,000 year-old supernova remnant, Sagittarius A East, located at the center of Milky Way.

The study's findings have also overturned theoretical understanding that dust may not be able to survive the harsh environment of a supernova.

"There have been no direct observations of any dust surviving the environment of the supernova remnant until now, and that's why our observations of an 'old' supernova are so important," Lau said.