詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜（JWST）在早期宇宙观测中普遍发现了发光微小但极度明亮的「小红点」，最初天文学家认为它们是遥远星系或超大质量黑洞，然而其缺乏黑洞常见的闪烁与强烈 X 射线特征，引发了强烈的学术争议。

2025 年春季，天文研究团队观察到具有明显巴耳末断裂与红移特征的特殊红点，进而提出大胆的「黑洞星」（Quasi-star）假说，认为这是一类外层被数十倍于太阳系的巨大氢气包层所笼罩、核心深处则正孕育并由黑洞吸积提供能量的全新天体，代表超大质量黑洞形成的种子阶段。

反对该假说的学者则认为奥坎剃刀原则支持传统黑洞解释，指出红点与缺乏 X 射线可能是由于视角差异或浓密的环状尘埃阻挡所致；但随著人口普查显示小红点在宇宙演化后期逐渐消失，两派研究者持续针对光谱细节与演化特征展开激烈验证。

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) widely detected intensely bright yet compact 'little red dots' in the early universe, which astronomers initially interpreted as distant galaxies or supermassive black holes, though their lack of expected flickering and intense X-ray emissions sparked significant scientific debate.

In spring 2025, research teams observing dots with distinct Balmer breaks proposed the bold 'black hole star' or quasi-star hypothesis, positing that these objects are colossally expanded hydrogen cocoons hiding and powered by an internal accreting black hole core, effectively capturing the embryonic phase of supermassive black holes.

Skeptics counter that Occam's razor favors conventional black holes obscured by thick dusty doughnuts or viewed edge-on, yet ongoing surveys showing the disappearance of little red dots in later cosmic epochs continue to fuel the debate over whether these objects represent a transient developmental phase of black holes.