Title: How many planets in our universe could support life? | HowStuffWorks
Headings: How many planets in our universe could support life?
How many planets in our universe could support life?
Citation

Content: How many planets in our universe could support life? | HowStuffWorks
How many planets in our universe could support life? By: Kate Kershner
To figure out how many planets could support life, you first have to determine how you will define the concept of life. suryazaidan/iStock/Thinkstock
For those not familiar with it, the Drake equation is used to predict how many technological civilizations might exist in the universe. The only problem is that the Drake equation doesn't give us an answer; it just tells us what might be possible if we get the factors right. ( Which we won't, because they're all hypothetical.) And while it would be fun to imagine that we could find a planet populated with people made of putty instead of carbon, it's probably unlikely. Instead, we have to define the parameters of life on Earth and see which other planets fit the bill.