Assignment

Write an essay that answers the following questions.

1) What easy to understand evidence is there that the Earth revolves around the Sun (that we have a heliocentric solar system)? Please do not simply say Copernicus or Kepler said so. You are to provide and explain the evidence.

2) What evidence do we have that the Earth (and the solar system in general) is not unique. You might want to think about another recent assignment you had.

3) Look up the Drake Equation. What does it say about the number of civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy? Considering your work with "Planet Hunters," does this make sense?

4) How do observations of our own galaxy indicate that Earth is not at its center? (Be specific). What does this imply about the centrality of Earth in the universe?

5) Astronomers will readily admit that we are at the center of the observable universe, in the same way that a person on a raft at sea might state that they are at the center of their "observable ocean." How is this different from actually being at the center of creation? What evidence is there that our galaxy has no preferred location in the universe?