Drake's Equation is an estimate to the number of extraterrestrial civilizations that could come in contact with ours:
N = R*x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L
N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which we might hope to be able to communicate;
R*: is the average rate of star formation in our galaxy
fp: is the fraction of those stars that have planets
ne: is the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star
that has planets
fl: is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point
fi: is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life
fc is the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L: is the length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.
I love Exobiology :D
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