Cloudy with a Chance of Starships

How the Drake Equation Reveals the Odds of Life in the Cosmos
An entertaining tour of the seemingly simple formula guiding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

An entertaining tour of the seemingly simple formula guiding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Cloudy with a Chance of Starships takes readers on an irreverent expedition through the marvelous world of astrobiology, using as a guide the most important equation in science since E=mc2. With an irresistible blend of wit, insight, and the latest cutting-edge research, Seven Rasmussen looks at the thrilling possibilities of life in the cosmos through the lens of the Drake equation, a seven-variable mathematical expression that calculates the number of civilizations in our galaxy that humans could potentially contact.

First proposed in 1961 by astrobiologist and SETI scientist Frank Drake, the equation begins with simple and well-kn