Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2025 December 24
    [2]A panel of six images shows a red dot in the center of each image.
   The instrument that took the image is listed on each image, along with
        a z number that is the cosmological redshift. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

               Mystery: Little Red Dots in the Early Universe
      Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]CSA, [6]STScI, [7]JWST; [8]Dale
                         Kocevski ([9]Colby College)

   Explanation: What are these little red dots (LRDs)? Nobody knows.
   Discovered only last year, hundreds of [10]LRDs have now been found by
   the [11]James Webb Space Telescope in the [12]early universe. Although
   extremely faint, [13]LRDs are now frequently identified in deep
   observations made for other purposes. A wide-ranging debate is raging
   about what [14]LRDs may be and what importance they may have. Possible
   origin hypotheses include [15]accreting supermassive black holes inside
   clouds of gas and dust, bursts of [16]star formation in young
   dust-reddened galaxies, and [17]dark matter powered gas clouds. The
   [18]highlighted images show six nearly featureless LRDs listed under
   the JWST program that found them, and z, a distance indicator called
   [19]cosmological redshift. Additionally, [20]searches are underway in
   our nearby universe to try to find whatever previous LRDs might have
   [21]become today.

          Tomorrow's picture: Fox Fur, Unicorn, and Christmas Tree
     __________________________________________________________________

      [22]< | [23]Archive | [24]Submissions | [25]Index | [26]Search |
   [27]Calendar | [28]RSS | [29]Education | [30]About APOD | [31]Discuss |
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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [37]Specific rights apply.
            [38]NASA Web Privacy, [39]Accessibility, [40]Notices;
                A service of: [41]ASD at [42]NASA / [43]GSFC,
                         [44]NASA Science Activation
                           & [45]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2512/Lrd_Webb_1080.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
   6. https://www.stsci.edu/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/about-overview/
   8. https://web.colby.edu/dkocevsk/
   9. https://web.colby.edu/
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_red_dot_(astronomical_object)
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
  12. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/early-universe/
  13. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jwsts-little-red-dots-offer-astronomers-the-universes-weirdest-puzzle/
  14. https://www.astronomy.com/science/little-red-dots-are-still-a-big-mystery/
  15. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...976...96P/abstract
  16. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...973L...2G/abstract
  17. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXiv251108578F/abstract
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/little-red-dots-nircam-image/
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130408.html
  20. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXiv250710659L/abstract
  21. https://i0.wp.com/i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/002/232/bullet_cat.jpg
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251223.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251224
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251225.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  41. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  44. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  45. http://www.mtu.edu/