Webb finds a possible descendant of the "little red dots"
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a galaxy named Saguaro that may explain the nature of 'little red dots' in the early universe. The study suggests these objects are supermassive black holes obscured by dust.
Why it matters
This discovery helps clarify the evolution of galaxies and the role of active galactic nuclei in the early history of the universe.
The mysterious "little red dots" revealed by the James-Webb telescope might be less exotic than they appear. The detailed study of a galaxy nicknamed Saguaro indicates that some correspond to a temporary phase of highly active supermassive black holes, whose surrounding galaxy becomes invisible at great distance.
Discovered in Webb images starting in 2022, these objects are compact, red, and very distant. They appear numerous in the young universe, then much rarer in more recent epochs. Several teams suspect that they host active galactic nuclei, that is, central black holes fueled by gas, but their properties resist simple explanations.
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