Week 3 Question 1 Explain why the formation of stars, planets, and solar systems in dark molecular clouds does not violate the law of entropy (everything becomes more disordered over time)
W3Q2 What led to the success of Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Leavitt, and/or Ida Woods in a field that was dominated by men at the time?
W3Q3 Explain how the processes of quantum fluctuations and dark matter clumping led to stars in the early universe and ultimately to the formation of galaxies. Explain the difference between the formation of stars in galaxies and the formation of stars in the early universe. What would have happened in the universe if dark matter did not clump in the early universe?
W3Q4 Has publishing pictures of stellar nurseries, etc... led to more funding for telescopes. Has the publishing of pretty pictures been more important for funding of new telescopes by Congress than the interest in knowing about the natural history of the universe? Do you think that pictures of stars forming is a more effective tool for convincing people that stars form in molecular clouds than scientific papers on the topic?
W3Q5 Explain the evidence for and against M67 as the origin cluster of the sun.
W3Q6 Discuss the philosophical or religious implications of the nebular hypothesis.
W3Q7 The possible existence of small unrevealed stars in dark molecular clouds was doubted after it was proposed by Bart Bok and Edith Reilly in 1947. Lin-Yun and Clemens finally proved it in 1990 when they observed a warm source inside a molecular cloud. We also had not observed planets, let alone planet formation, until the late 20th century. Consider how much more is presently known about star and planet formation and how this impacts the perspective that people have of the universe. It was possible for young earth creationists to deny the natural formation of stars and planets in molecular clouds in the 20th century because there was no concrete evidence of star or planet formation. With tens of thousands of images of star formation online, how long do you think it will be possible for young earth creationists to continue to believe that there is no natural formation of stars and planets?