Chandra Detects X-rays from JWST Little Red Dot

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected an unusual X-ray source, designated 3DHSTAEGIS12014, that aligns precisely with one of the mysterious "little red dots" observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, offering potential evidence of a transitional phase in the evolution of supermassive black holes in the early universe. Located about 11.8 billion light-years from Earth, the object dates back to roughly 12 billion years ago, when the universe was in its infancy.

Little red dots, compact and strikingly red objects identified shortly after JWST began its scientific operations, have puzzled astronomers. Spanning just a few hundred light-years across, these entities appear muted in typical wavelengths due to dense surrounding gas clouds that block ultraviolet light and X-rays normally emitted by growing supermassive black holes. Researchers hypothesize that they represent "black hole stars," vast gas clumps energized by a central supermassive black hole consuming material from within, glowing from heated gas and jets while remaining obscured.

Unlike other little red dots, this X-ray dot emits detectable X-rays with energies comparable to those from quasars, active galaxies...