Cosmic dust containing elements like iron, carbon or oxygen plays an important role in the formation of planets and stars. But early galaxies consisted only of gas, and the dust appeared later. Where the dust came from has long been a mystery.

After years of searching, astronomers have observed cosmic dust that appears to have survived the hot aftermath of a supernova. The finding was reported in the journal Science.

“When a supernova explodes, it forms a bunch of dust” said Ryan Lau, an astronomer at Cornell University and lead author of the new study. “But dust is pretty fragile material. So the question is, who’s to say the dust survives this extremely hot, violent environment? And if it does, how much?”

Using infrared images from an observatory aboard a Boeing 747, Dr. Lau and his colleagues located a supernova remnant near the center of the Milky Way with substantial amounts of cosmic dust.