Since the James Webb Space Telescope began observing the early universe, astronomers have been puzzled by hundreds of compact, bright red specks known as Little Red Dots. They are only a few hundred light-years across, yet shine like much larger galaxies, and show no detectable X-ray or radio emission.
A University of Portsmouth team led by Dr Daniel Whalen now proposes an explanation, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Using cosmological simulations, they found that these objects are most likely primeval galaxies hosting black holes of about 10 million solar masses, formed by the collapse of supermassive primordial stars. Dense gas around each black hole traps X-rays but lets some ultraviolet, visible and infrared light escape, matching what Webb sees.
The simulations also produce dense clusters of about 100 million stars within roughly 500 light-years, as observed. "We may be witnessing the birth of the first supermassive black holes," Whalen said.
Source: University of Portsmouth, November 10, 2026 — https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/james-webb-telescopes-controversial-little-red-dots-finally-explained
