The Probability of Extraterrestrial Existence Essay

The Probability of Extraterrestrial Existence Frank Drake, an American astronomer made an equation to find the probability of finding aliens in our galaxy. The probability of humans finding extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy equals Nfpnef1fifcfL, where N equals the number of stars in the Milky Way, fp equals the fraction of those stars having planets, ne equals the number of those planets that can support life, f1 equals the number of those planets on which life arises, fi equals the fraction of those planets on which intelligent life evolves, fc equals the fraction of those planets where intelligent life developed into a technologically advanced civilization and fL equals the fraction of time a technical civilization lasts.†¦show more content†¦Though we know a lot about radio astronomy, the problem that is stopping the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (better known as SETI) from finding anyone is the vastness of space. The chance of us pointing our telescopes at the right point in the universe at the right time is astronomical. The chance of aliens finding us is just as bad. If life on Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our solar system, found us and sent a message, traveling at the speed of light, we would not receive it for four and one half years. Then, it would take another four and one half years for our reply to reach them. The distances make communication while on our home worlds nearly impossible. Even if aliens came to Earth, they could have ships that cannot be found with our tracking devices. If I was an extraterrestrial, and saw the problems on Earth, I would take my ship and leave as soon as possible. I would never go near a race still killing each other over stupid things. I do not think we can start our search for extraterrestrial intelligence in earnest until we can live in harmony as humans. Most people do not realize what we are sending to outer space. Every second, we send many television signals everywhere, traveling at the speed of light, and they are strong enough to be found anywhere in space. We send so many signals, humans are polluting outer space. The first message they would receive would be of the 1936 Olympics, since that was the first television signal strongShow MoreRelatedAliens Are Real From The Dead Of The Night With The Sole Intention Of Arriving At Home1675 Words   |  7 Pages The statistical improbability of non existence, the many recent discoveries of habitable areas, and our ever expanding technological advancements are all major reasons to support the existence of extraterrestrial life. Imagine a single grain of sand compared to the size of the sun. Now turn the sun into something a million times as large then throw in another thousand of those, and the result would be an accurate comparison to around half the probability of the nonexistence of aliens. 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