Participatory Exploration: Finding Cosmic Dust

Probe may have found cosmic dust, BBC

“The discovery was made by a member of the public, using the Stardust@Home internet application, which invited participants to search the aerogel collection medium for tiny particles of the dust. “There are two particles, but they are in the same track. So when they hit the aerogel, they were together – they are two components of the same particle,” Dr Westphal told BBC News. “But they are very different from each other. That in itself is interesting, because if this does turn out to be interstellar dust, then it is a bit more heterogeneous than people thought.” The initial speck, known as particle 30, was spotted by Bruce Hudson, from Ontario in Canada. Under the agreement made between the science team and participants in Stardust@Home, Mr Hudson was allowed to choose a name for the particle; he called it Orion.”