New Research Reveals The Hidden Fate Of The Universe’s Mysterious Little Red Dots
Scientists have proposed one pathway little red dots can follow as the universe matures based on their analysis of spiral galaxy WISEA J123635.56+621424.2, nicknamed the “Saguaro.” They suggest little red dots may be a temporary phase of highly active supermassive black holes.
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Pierluigi Rinaldi (Steward Observatory)
A new study suggests that the mysterious little red dots discovered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope may represent a temporary phase of intense supermassive black hole activity rather than a unique type of galaxy. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, the research identifies the galaxy WISEA J123635.56+621424.2, nicknamed the Saguaro, as a possible evolutionary bridge between the distant red sources seen in the early universe and the galaxies surrounding black holes today.
The new research published in The Astrophysical Journal, and led by Pierluigi Rinaldi of the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, now at the Space Telescope Science Institute, examines a rare lower-redshift example that may reveal what these objects become over time. The team focused on the Saguaro, a spiral galaxy whose structure resembles the arms of the desert cactus that inspired its nickname. Located at a redshift of about 2, the galaxy existed roughly 3.3 billion years after the Big Bang, providing astronomers with a view of an earlier period of cosmic evolution.