Quote Originally Posted by Till View Post
Let's be ultra-skeptical and affirm there are no alien civilizations in the Milky Way, shall we?

The closest galaxy to the Milky Way that is most similar in terms of size, structure, and composition is the Triangulum Galaxy, also known as M-33. It is located approximately 2.73 million light-years away from Earth and shares many aspects with the Milky Way, including spiral arms and a central bulge.



Where:
P (M33) = Probability of life in M-33.
( S ) = Stellar population density, indicating the number of stars per unit area in M-33.
( C ) = Chemical complexity index, representing the abundance of elements essential for life.
( H ) = Habitability index, considering factors such as the presence of planets in the habitable zone and galactic environment.
( E ) = Extraterrestrial intelligence factor, reflecting the likelihood of intelligent life evolving.
( D ) = Distance factor, accounting for the distance of M-33 from Earth and its impact on observational limitations and interstellar travel.

This formula combines elements of stellar density, chemical composition, habitability considerations, the potential for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the distance to M-33 to estimate the probability of life existing within the galaxy. Each factor can be assigned a value based on observational data, and theoretical models, allowing for a quantitative assessment of the likelihood of life in M-33.

To determine the minimum number of civilizations in M-33 using the Dill Equation, assign minimalistic values to each variable and perform the calculation.

Where:
( S ) (Stellar population density) = 100 stars per square kiloparsec in M-33.
( C ) (Chemical complexity index) = 0.8 (on a scale from 0 to 1, where 1 represents high chemical complexity).
( H ) (Habitability index) = 0.6 (on a scale from 0 to 1, where 1 represents highly habitable conditions).
( E ) (Extraterrestrial intelligence factor) = 0.1 (on a scale from 0 to 1, where 1 represents high likelihood of intelligent life).
( D ) (Distance factor) = 0.05 (positing M-33's distance is less prohibitive for communication or travel compared to more distant galaxies).

Now, plug these values into the formula:



So, with these illustrative values, the minimum estimated number of civilizations in M-33 is 960.

I suck at math but I kinda understand this