Published on Mar. 3, 2026
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Astronomers have proposed a new theory that the mysterious “little red dots” discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may not be black holes as previously thought, but rather the first generation of gigantic supermassive stars in the early universe that are on the verge of collapsing into black holes. The researchers developed a model showing these “monster stars” could explain the extreme brightness and unique spectral features of the little red dots.
Why it matters
If confirmed, this finding would challenge the existing theory that the little red dots are active galactic nuclei powered by black holes. Understanding the nature of these enigmatic objects could provide new insights into the formation of the first stars and black holes in the early universe.
The details
The team, led by Devesh Nandal and Avi Loeb of the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, compared their simulations of metal-free supermassive stars with the observed features of two little red dots, dubbed MoM-BH*-1 and The Cliff, found around 650 million and 1.8 billion years after the Big Bang, respectively. Their model was able to match the extreme brightness and the distinctive “V-shaped” dip in the spectra of these objects, which they suggest is produced by the star’s own atmosphere rather than dust absorption.
The little red dots were discovered in surveys by the James Webb Space Telescope.The objects studied in the new research were found around 650 million and 1.8 billion years after the Big Bang.
The players
Devesh Nandal
A postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and lead author of the study.
Avi Loeb
A researcher at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who co-authored the study.
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
The powerful space observatory that discovered the mysterious “little red dots”.
MoM-BH*-1
One of the little red dot objects studied, found around 650 million years after the Big Bang.
The Cliff
Another little red dot object studied, found around 1.8 billion years after the Big Bang.
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What they’re saying
“If these little red dots now have no X-rays, they don’t show any of these other metal lines, and if supermassive stars can form and exist, then we have shown that such stars will naturally produce the features of these little red dots. For the very first time, we think we’re not looking at some dead signature of a star.”
— Devesh Nandal, Postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (Live Science)
“The study works well as a theoretical exercise. It shows that a supermassive star can reproduce some features of a little-red-dot spectrum.”
— Daniel Whalen, Senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (Live Science)
What’s next
Detailed spectroscopic measurements showing the abundance of chemicals around the little red dots would help support or rule out the supermassive-stars interpretation. Highly sensitive radio observations could also provide a decisive test by detecting any radio emissions from potential black holes powering the objects.
The takeaway
The discovery of these mysterious “little red dots” by the James Webb Space Telescope has challenged our understanding of the early universe, and the new supermassive star theory offers a compelling alternative to the black hole explanation. Further observations and analysis will be crucial in determining the true nature of these enigmatic objects.