Unexplainable Mysterious objects near the beginning of time
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Feb 4, 2026 Caitlin Casey, astronomer and UC Santa Barbara professor who studies the early universe and JWST data, discusses strange early-universe objects called Little Red Dots. She talks about surprisingly massive black holes, missing faint host galaxies, how spectra reveal accretion signatures, and theories for rapid black hole growth and why these objects appear red.
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Everyday Excitement Over JWST Data
- Caitlin Casey describes obsessively poring over JWST images whenever she can.
- She still feels the same daily excitement she had when the telescope first released images.
Little Red Dots Reveal A New Early-Universe Population
- JWST has revealed many unexplained small red sources now called Little Red Dots.
- The evidence increasingly points to these being supermassive black holes in the early universe.
Spectra Point Toward Accreting Massive Objects
- JWST spectroscopy shows signatures consistent with very massive objects with fast-moving material.
- Those spectral features match expectations for accreting supermassive black holes rather than ordinary galaxies.