MSGID: 1:153/757.0 ec53df31   
   TZUTC: -0800   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       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   
      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: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST; Dale Kocevski (Colby   
                                     College)   
      
      Explanation: What are these little red dots (LRDs)? Nobody knows.   
      Discovered only last year, hundreds of LRDs have now been found by the   
      James Webb Space Telescope in the early universe. Although extremely   
      faint, LRDs are now frequently identified in deep observations made for   
      other purposes. A wide-ranging debate is raging about what LRDs may be   
      and what importance they may have. Possible origin hypotheses include   
      accreting supermassive black holes inside clouds of gas and dust,   
      bursts of star formation in young dust-reddened galaxies, and dark   
      matter powered gas clouds. The highlighted images show six nearly   
      featureless LRDs listed under the JWST program that found them, and z,   
      a distance indicator called cosmological redshift. Additionally,   
      searches are underway in our nearby universe to try to find whatever   
      previous LRDs might have become today.   
      
             Tomorrow's picture: Fox Fur, Unicorn, and Christmas Tree   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
                     NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;   
                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7   
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/19 100 16/0 19/10 37 105/81 106/201 123/130 128/187 129/14   
   SEEN-BY: 129/305 134/100 142/104 153/135 143 148 151 757 6809 7083   
   SEEN-BY: 153/7715 154/110 201/0 203/0 218/700 840 221/1 6 360 226/30   
   SEEN-BY: 227/114 229/110 112 134 206 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700   
   SEEN-BY: 229/705 240/5832 266/512 280/5003 5006 291/111 301/1 320/119   
   SEEN-BY: 320/219 319 2119 322/757 762 335/364 341/66 342/200 396/45   
   SEEN-BY: 423/81 460/58 633/280 712/848 902/26 5020/400 5075/35   
   PATH: 153/757 221/6 1 320/219 229/426