The Drake Equation
- By Lauren Aguirre
- Posted 07.01.08
- NOVA scienceNOW
The Drake Equation, named after its creator, radio astronomer Frank Drake, tackles a perplexing question: Does intelligent life, capable of communicating with us, exist beyond Earth? It makes the question easier to address by framing it as a numbers game. In this interactive version, learn about the factors in the equation and play around with the numbers yourself.
Launch Interactive
Try your hand at calculating how many intelligent, communicating civilizations might be in our galaxy.
Credits
Images
- (Frank Drake)
- © Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS
- (Milky Way, star formation, Earth, satellite dishes, meteorite);
- © NASA
- (star wobble)
- produced by the Cornell Theory Center based on research by Alex Wolszczan, Penn State
- (bacteria)
- © Howard Sochurek/CORBIS
- (dolphins)
- Courtesy of NOAA
Related Links
-
SETI: The Search for ET
Astronomers have their radio telescopes tuned to receive signals from alien worlds. But is anybody out there?
-
Hunt for Alien Earths
Astronomers may be on the brink of finding Earth-like planets beyond our solar system.
-
Will We Ever Find ET?
What are the odds that smart aliens exist in the universe?
-
Detecting Life Beyond Earth
In this video and quiz, see how scientists sniff out signs of life on distant planets, then try it yourself.
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