RIP.

Some may see the Drake Equation as reductive, and that's kind of the point. Its simplicity makes it compelling: presenting the enormousness and diversity of the universe as a near infinitude that seems incapable of supporting only one planet full of life. It's also easily understood by anybody who can do basic math, with a 30-second explanation. You can make anyone think and make an informed guess on one of the most profound questions of all.

Here's hoping we prove his intuition right one day, I'm glad he lived to see so many advances in astronomy and physics, it must surely have felt like an unfolding of possibility to him.