[aquila48]

Thanks for the great link, aquila48! WRT the above italics: the reference is to the solar system. But what of the Universe as a whole? Where does it get its "order" (energy) from? Should we think of it as a "closed" or as an "open" system?

Actually, the reference was just to the earth. I imagine if one considers the whole solar system then entropy may actually be increasing and thus the solar system as a whole is becoming more random. For this to be true there would have to be more energy escaping the solar system than entering it, which is probably the case.

As for the whole universe, I don't believe we know as yet, since we don't know whether it's a closed system and if open whether there is a net energy inflow.

[theFIRMbss]

>For this to be true there would have to be more energy escaping the solar system than entering it, which is probably [?!] the case

A solar system
in a spiral arm might be
gaining energy

if it's spiraling
around a gravity hole.
The mechanism

would be similar
to driftwood moving faster
as it's drawn closer

to a whirlpool's eye.
But I am not up-to-date
on galaxies, so

I do not know if
the spiral formation is
from center outward.