Drake equation
Syllabification: (Drake e·qua·tion)
Astronomy
Definition of Drake equation
- a speculative equation that gives an estimate of the likelihood of discovering intelligent extraterrestrial life in the galaxy, expressed as the product of a series of factors such as the number of stars, the fraction of stars with planets, the fraction of planets on which life evolves, the average lifetime of a civilization, etc. It was formulated by the US astronomer Frank Drake in 1961.