NASA Webb Explores Family Tree of Newly Discovered Distant Objects

It's been a question since they were discovered in the high-redshift universe by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. With each additional observation and analysis, astronomers have gradually learned more about the nature of these mysterious red sources.

A team of scientists is now providing one branch of the little red dot family tree by sifting through multi-mission telescope data to carefully examine a spiral galaxy at lower redshift. The face-on galaxy, dubbed the "Saguaro" for its prominent arms, is reminiscent of the desert plant in another way: Like the ruby red fruit of the Saguaro cactus, this galaxy has a little red dot in its center, making it a scene ripe for study.