I’ve always wondered how astronomers can actually observe galaxies that are millions or even billions of light-years away. What exactly are we seeing when we look at them?
And when scientists say there are hundreds of billions, or possibly trillions, of galaxies in the observable universe, how do they know that if we obviously haven’t seen and counted every single one?
If by we you mean humans, IDK it’s looking pretty dicey at the moment. We as in Earth? I think will be just fine a million or so years after we’re gone, and in that time other intelligences may rise. Maybe octopi start forming complex social groups, or chimpanzees fill the niche we leave, or the fungal network finally reaches critical mass and becomes a planet-spanning superconsciousness and catapults itself into the space age by interpreting ancient human artifacts. I think Earth is gonna be a galactic contender. Whether humans are around when that happens is another question.