Coniology or koniology (from Greek κόνις, konis or κονίᾱ, koniā, "dust"; and -λογία, -logia) is the study of atmospheric dust and its effects. Samples of dust are often collected by a device called a coniometer. Coniology refers to the observation and contemplation of dust in an atmosphere, but the study of dust may also be applied to dust in space, therefore connecting it to a variety of atmospheric and extraterrestrial topics.