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Drake equation |
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Drake equationor Green Bank equationEquation claimed to yield the number of technically advanced civilizations capable of interstellar communication in the Milky Way Galaxy as a function of several factors conducive to evolution of intelligent life with technological capabilities. It was largely developed by Frank D. Drake (b. 1930) in 1961 at a SETI conference in Green Bank, W.Va. Of all the stars that form in the Galaxy, only some will give rise to life-supporting planets, and of those planets, only some will generate life capable of high technology and yet able to avoid technological destruction. Because the numbers for each factor are poorly known, the results generated vary from zero to millions. Drake equation [′drāk i‚kwā·zhən] (astronomy) An equation which gives the number of advanced technological civilizations curently active in the Galaxy as the product of the rate at which new stars are born in the Galaxy, the probability (actually a product of probabilities) that any one of these stars will possess the necessary conditions for life to originate and to slowly evolve to a technological civilization, and the average longevity of such civilizations. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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The history of SETI research, traditional radio astronomy, the search for intelligence in optical wavelengths (known as Optical SETI, or OSETI), and the SETI@home project -- An overview of the Drake Equation and the Rare Earth Hypothesis, which scientists use to estimate the number of planets in our galaxy that could harbor intelligent, communicative life forms -- How signals are sent and received over interstellar distances. |
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