Black Holes or Black Hole Stars? Astronomers Spar over 'Little Red Dots'

Astronomers are debating whether the 'Little Red Dots' observed by the James Webb Space Telescope are black holes or black hole stars. The discovery of these objects was announced in June. The objects are located in the galaxy NGC 2276, about 600 million light-years from Earth. They are extremely faint and small, with a diameter of about 2.5 kilometers. The debate centers around whether they are black holes with a star at their center or a black hole star, which is a star that has collapsed into a black hole. Some astronomers argue that the objects' brightness and size suggest they are black holes, while others argue that their behavior is more consistent with a black hole star. The discussion is ongoing, with more data and observations needed to determine the nature of the 'Little Red Dots'.