What was the approximate number of galaxies cataloged in the initial Hubble Deep Field (HDF) observation?
Answer
around 3,000 galaxies
The initial groundbreaking effort, the Hubble Deep Field (HDF), which involved staring at a seemingly blank patch of sky for about 10 days, managed to catalog approximately 3,000 galaxies. This achievement alone was monumental, demonstrating that even regions thought to be devoid of structure were densely populated with island universes stretching back billions of years. The HDF provided an early, stunning cross-section of galactic evolution, showcasing a range of structures from mature spirals to very faint, embryonic formations.

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