Astronomy current events question: new star formation in galaxy NGC 4634

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

European Space Agency/Hubble Space Telescope and NASA press release, "Hubble Catches Glowing Gas and Dark Dust in a Side-On Spiral," September 21, 2012
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/ngc4634.html

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope recently imaged bright pink nebulae in the spiral galaxy NGC 4634, which correspond to areas of star formation triggered by:
(A) fresh hydrogen brought in from the surrounding halo.
(B) background radiation from the original big bang.
(C) pockets of dark energy.
(D) instabilities caused by its central supermassive black hole.
(E) gravitational interactions with a neighboring galaxy.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 5 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 33 students