Dust is perhaps the peskiest form matter can take for optical astronomers. It obscures our view of such interesting regions as the Galactic center, forming stars, and starbursting galaxies. However, the impact on the total radiation budget of the Galaxy is significant, and in the case of starburst galaxies, can transform nearly all of the radiation from the galaxy into infrared radiation.
Because dust can have such dramatic effects on the radiation we see, careful consideration and detailed understanding of the location, distribution and amount of dust are necessary to interpret correctly almost any astrophysical process via optical observations. And just as with your living room, accounting for dust is always an ongoing, and often laborious process.
