A comparison of extinction curves for dust in galaxies of different Hubble types

A sample of 25 galaxies of various Hubble types has been observed in a variety of filters. Extinction curves have been generated for absorption regions in these galaxies using a technique which previously had been used on just a few galaxies; for example, NGC 205, NGC 185, NGC 3077, and M31. The results from these studies suggested that there may be systematic trends in dust properties with Hubble type. This would not be surprising; dust properties should vary with metallicity, for example. It is well known that some galaxies and their interstellar materials should reflect this difference.