Exozodiacal dust clouds are often components of debris disks that are detected around main-sequence stars through their excess infrared emission.
[1] By convention, exozodiacal dust refers to the innermost and hottest part of these debris disks, within a few astronomical units of the star.
[1] How exozodiacal dust is so prevalent this close to stars is a subject of debate with several competing theories attempting to explain the phenomenon.
Because it is often located near a star's habitable zone, exozodiacal dust can be an important noise source for attempts to image terrestrial planets.
[3] Leftover particulates from the formation of a solar system, as well as debris from the collisions of larger objects leave behind exozodiacal dust.