The Interstellar dust properties of nearby galaxies

Understand

This article gives an overview of the constitution, physical conditions and observables of dust in the interstellar medium of nearby galaxies.

• We first review the macroscopic, spatial distribution of dust in these objects, and its consequence on our ability to study grain physics.
• We also discuss the possibility to use dust tracers as diagnostic tools.
• We then survey our current understanding of the microscopic, intrinsic properties of dust in different environments, derived from different observables: emission, extinction, polarization, depletions, over the whole electromagnetic spectrum.