what is the estimated number of galaxies in the universe? Why might the number consistently increase?

Info… early (late 40’s) resistance to the Big Bang theory…led to theories of a continual emergence of matter in space.* Proponents of this view included Sir Fred Hoyle, among other prominent cosmologists and physicists.

*The amount of matter that they calculated would “appear” per year is very very small; mere 10’s of particles per cubic meter of space. (estimate…from..my feeble brain..)

Basically, the accepted the expansion of the universe, but were not prepared for a single event causing the creation.

Instead, they assumed the universe had an infinite life and the appearance of evenly spaced galaxies could be understood if matter were created constantly.

Several discoveries in the next few years discredited this theory: Cosmic Background Radiation and Quantum study agreement with the observed atomic make-up of the universe were the chief culprits.

So..after that bit of history…

There is NO evidence whatsoever of additional matter being added to the universe.

As observational techniques improve, we can see more and more detail in distant galaxies, right out to the “Big Barrier,” the distance to the source of it all: The Big Bang.

Remember… our telescopes are time machines. They only show what happened in the past. And the view they encompass is a fraction of the of the “Extent Universe.”

The Extent Universe.. That ‘resultant’ of the Big Bang…seen as though some truly outside observer followed the progress of all the matter created in the Big Bang. it is larger than our “Observable Universe,” since the expansion after the Big Bang has proceeded at a pace (overall) faster than than the speed of light.

The ocean lithosphere sinks into the mantle at deep ocean ridges.