A dust cloud is a type of gaseous nebula consisting of dust particles suspended in a gas. The dust may be either interstellar material or debris from cometary tails. Dust clouds are often seen in star-forming regions, such as the Tarantula Nebula.
Dust clouds absorb light, making them appear dark when viewed against a bright background. However, they can also reflect light, causing them to appear as luminous patches or streaks in the night sky. Some dust clouds are large enough to block out all light from stars and other objects behind them, while others only obscure a small portion of the sky.
The term “dust cloud” can also refer to the dense concentrations of dust and gas that exist in the disks around young stars. These protoplanetary disks are sometimes called “proplyds” (for pro+planetary disk). Proplyds have been observed around young stars in the Orion Nebula and other star-forming regions.