Astronomers Were at First Surprised to Find Complicated Molecules in the Interstellar

question 28

Multiple Choice

Astronomers were at first surprised to find complicated molecules in the interstellar medium. They thought ultra-violet light from stars would break apart such molecules. What protects the molecules we observe from being broken apart?

• A) such molecules form in cells, and there is a protective membrane around each cell
• B) such molecules always form inside stars; the stars outer layers protect them
• C) such molecules form in clouds that contain significant amounts of dust, and the dust in the cloud protects them from ultra-violet rays
• D) such molecules form only in the regions that are already millions of degrees hot and thus can't be affected by ultra-violet rays
• E) you can't fool me; the seeming discovery of complex molecules out there was a mistake, and astronomers now realize there are no molecules out there.

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