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Drake Equation Research Paper

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Devin Lally Dr. Aaron Titus FYS 1100 Final Essay: Drake Equation The Drake Equation is a theorized equation used to estimate the number of intelligent, radio-communicative life in the Milky Way galaxy. The Drake Equation was written in 1961 by Frank Drake soon before he was going to attend and present at the “search for extraterrestrial intelligence” meeting or SETI. Drake pointed an 85 foot telescope1 at nearby stars and hoped for a response (Scoles). There are eight different variables in the Drake Equation. Each variable leads to the essential question of are we alone in the universe? To describe this equation to its full potential, it is important to look at each factor considered. To start, N is the variable that portrays the number …show more content…

The first term, R*, is the rate at which stars in the galaxy form. If I were to take an educated guess on the numerical number associated with R*, it would be approximately one. Originally, Dr. Frank Drake thought R* was closer to 10. When astronomers looked further, they discovered that it is much more difficult to find a star that is exactly what we need when discovering possible habitable planets to go along with it. When coming up with this number, astronomers must first take a general population number of the surrounding stars and take into account the size and the life span the star has as well as comparing the given star to others that fit the criteria that they need for a habitable planet. One is an acceptable number of star formations because some stars are not big enough to have habitable planets and some are too large and could burn up too …show more content…

We cannot get close enough to observe with our own eyes, so there are different techniques that can be utilized to garner this information. This part of the equation is characterized as Fp, Fp is the fraction of stars that actually have planets. One method used in the study of potential solar systems is the transit method. This is the dimming of a star which can show a planet passing in front, which in turn proves that a planetary system exists around that star. This example is much like the experiment we did in class that showed the planets passing around the yellow sphere that was lit up inside. We used a device that measured the changing light and planet size as it passes around the sun. Another type of test would be radio velocity, this is performed by shaking the stars to reveal the gravitational pull of the surrounding planets. A telescope was sent into space in 2009 to look more closely at the Milky Way in an attempt to find planets and other solar systems. There is a fairly high chance that a star could have a planet around it and in my opinion, as high as fifty percent or .5. Like our solar system, others are more likely to have planets that are not habitable. If other solar systems are anything like ours, they are bound to have many planets. Not all habitable, but planets none the

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