I waiting 4 Your suggestions, so we could see most recently and accurate
number of ET.
There is nothing accurate about Drake's Equation calculations, given that we know so little! Personally I have a lot of trouble finding values that 'feel' appropriate, although whenever I do a Drake's Equation I always use the following values:
* All Earth-type planets develop life (Fl = 100%)
* All life-bearing planets develop intelligent life (Fi = 100%)
* All intelligent life-bearing planets develop technology and communicate (Fc = 100%)
The other thing I do is use the volume of the Milky Way with the result of Drake's Equation to find the average distance between civilisations. That way I can easily tell how well that result of Drake's Equation is supported by the observation that we detect no nearby civilisations.
A spreadsheet program is ideal for this sort of tinkering.
We
will find possible evidence of ETI eventually. In fact, with the pace of astronomical technology I get the feeling that it will occur this century. It will be some peculiar radiation signature, like excess infrared emission or something. It will be evidence of advanced technology to do with a star, because that would be the easiest to detect. It will be ambiguous, and thus hotly debated, but one thing is for sure: more eyes and minds will turn to that star than any object in human history. I will do my best to be around
when it happens.
I just hope that astrobiologists are looking towards the galactic bulge.
Cheers,
Paul
