You know those wee bits of dust you can see when there’s a bit of sunlight shinin in your livin room?

Question

(‘motes’, I think is the every day term for them)?

Well, are they actually atoms? Like, dust atoms? Is each ‘mote’ actually one atom of dust?

Answer 1

No, even the largest atoms are invisible to the naked eye.  A single dust particle is composed of millions, maybe billions of atoms.

Answer 2

Atoms are too small for the naked eye to see - what you are observing are compounds - thousands of atoms clumped together.

Answer 3

No. They are just small bits of dust. The human eye can't see atoms without some sort of microscope. I can see them though, but since being struck by lightning I have gained superhuman powers which is helpful with the dusting.

Answer 4

I don't know more than that but my sister and I used to pretend they were fairies.

i thought they were just dust particles

Answer 5

Dust particals are made up of mostly dead skin.

Answer 6

you can't even see a bacteria without looking under a microscope. bacteria and other single celled organisms are made of millions of atoms.

the fact that you can see dust means that those tiny little bits wisping through the air are thousands of times larger than a tiny bacteria.

Answer 7

Atoms are too small for the naked eye; even for the most powerful electron microscope. The dust particles you see are millions of atoms clumped together.

Answer 8

No idea I just polish them away