Considering these 'deep space' images that capture these myriad of little galaxies so far away.... The number of galaxies that must be out there is inconceivable to me.
Spitballing.
Might there be some space/time mechanism at play whereby we're actually seeing the same handful or so of galaxies? Like maybe some lensing thing.
Or weirder, we're actually seeing right around the universe itself — as though seeing the back of your head in a mirror if you look far enough. Not a topologist, but seems a toroidal universe would have a property like this: look far enough and you see the back of your head. So perhaps the same galaxies seen from multiple angles at the same time appear to be a greater number of galaxies than there actually are.
Spitballing.
Might there be some space/time mechanism at play whereby we're actually seeing the same handful or so of galaxies? Like maybe some lensing thing.
Or weirder, we're actually seeing right around the universe itself — as though seeing the back of your head in a mirror if you look far enough. Not a topologist, but seems a toroidal universe would have a property like this: look far enough and you see the back of your head. So perhaps the same galaxies seen from multiple angles at the same time appear to be a greater number of galaxies than there actually are.