OT: Extrasolar planets discovered directly - Page 2

Renegade 13 · #1 March 26th, 2005, 11:36 PM

Think about it for a minute:

Assume there are 10 billion galaxies in the universe (a quite conservative estimate). Assume that each of those galaxies have 50 billion stars each (again, this would be an average since I've heard estimates that the Milky Way alone contains 100 to 500 billion stars).

If those figures were anywhere near correct, that would mean there are 500,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 5 x 10 to the 20th power.

Now assume that about 1/4 of all stars have at least one planet (not sure on this figure at all). That means there's 125,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets in the universe, with 12,500,000 in the Milky Way. Now assume that only 1/100th of one percent of those planets are inhabitable as we define it. That still leaves 1250 inhabitable planets in the galaxy.

And you say there's no habitable planets out there....anywhere!?!?

Remember that a lack of evidence does not constitute evidence itself.

Randallw · #2 March 26th, 2005, 11:43 PM

I saw a documentary a couple of months ago where someone presented his formula. It was along the lines of using the percentage of planets that could hold a livable atmosphere, and the percentage chance of intelligent life and the amount of time life will last before becoming extinct. I seem to recall the final amount was that there are 100,000 possible alien races in our galaxy.

Slick · #3 March 27th, 2005, 12:19 AM

The Drake Equation

narf poit chez BOOM · #4 March 27th, 2005, 12:55 AM

/me gets a lawn chair, some pop and some sour cream and onion chips and sits back to watch the fireworks.

Slick · #5 March 27th, 2005, 01:14 AM

Indeed. I have the popcorn.

Strategia_In_Ultima · #6 March 29th, 2005, 05:01 AM

I sincerely believe in extrasolar intelligent life. There MUST be life out there. I'm not saying that little green (and tall gray) men are here abducting humans (and cows) for medical experiments because I think that is pure male cow excrement, but I am convinced extraterrestrial intelligent life does exist, if not in humanoid form then in silicon-based crystalline form or even energy-based gaseious form or whatever, but there IS intelligent life out there people!