Jialai Wang

When a star wanders too close to a black hole, an object with gravity so intense that not even light can escape, tidal forces shred it like dough caught in a mixer's beaters. This event, known as a tidal disruption event (TDE), unleashes a powerful flare of radiation.

In the vast cosmic web, the James Webb Space Telescope spotted something unusual — tiny but bright red sparks that astronomers have nicknamed 'little red dots.' They shine as if an invisible fire is raging inside: their spectrum looks like a letter V, and the hydrogen lines are broadened, as if someone smeared paint across a canvas.