article published yes John Chisholm author Danielle A. Berg author Michael Boylan-Kolchin author Anna De Graaff author Lukas J. Furtak author Vasily Kokorev author Jorryt J Matthee author 7439a258-f3c0-11ec-9501-9df22fe067200000-0003-2871-127X Julian B. Muñoz author Rohan P. Naidu author Andreas A.C. Sander author JoMa department Little Red Dots (LRDs), among the most enigmatic high-redshift discoveries by JWST, are commonly believed to be powered by accreting supermassive black holes. Here, we explore the possibility that these sources are globular clusters in formation, with rest-frame UV arising from a very young stellar population and rest-frame optical from a short-lived supermassive (>104 M⊙) star. The spectral profiles of LRDs are broadly consistent with this scenario, though the observed temperatures and bolometric luminosities favor emission reprocessed by optically thick continuum-driven winds not fully captured by current models. The LRD z ∼ 5−7 UV luminosity function naturally evolves, under standard evolutionary and mass-loss prescriptions, into a present-day mass function with a turnover at log10(M*/M⊙) = 5.3 and an exponential cutoff at high masses, consistent with local globular cluster populations. We estimate the total present-day number density of LRDs formed across all redshifts to be ≈0.3 Mpc−3, similar within uncertainties to local globular clusters. The observed LRD redshift range matches the age distribution of metal-poor globular clusters, without current LRD counterparts to the metal-rich population. If LRDs are globular clusters in formation, we predict chemical abundance patterns characteristic of multiple stellar populations, including enhanced He and N, and potential Na–O and Al–Mg anticorrelations. These results offer a local perspective to explore this surprisingly abundant population of distant sources, and a potential new window into extreme stellar astrophysics in the early Universe. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/21998/22098/2026_AstrophysicalJourLetters_Chisholm.pdf application/pdfno https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ IOP Publishing2026 eng 2041-8205 2041-8213 2602.1593510.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae 10041 Chisholm, John, et al. “Little Red Dots as Globular Clusters in Formation.” <i>The Astrophysical Journal Letters</i>, vol. 1004, no. 1, L4, IOP Publishing, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae">10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae</a>. J. Chisholm <i>et al.</i>, “Little Red Dots as globular clusters in formation,” <i>The Astrophysical Journal Letters</i>, vol. 1004, no. 1. IOP Publishing, 2026. J. Chisholm, D.A. Berg, M. Boylan-Kolchin, A. De Graaff, L.J. Furtak, V. Kokorev, J.J. Matthee, J.B. Muñoz, R.P. Naidu, A.A.C. Sander, The Astrophysical Journal Letters 1004 (2026). Chisholm, J., Berg, D. A., Boylan-Kolchin, M., De Graaff, A., Furtak, L. J., Kokorev, V., … Sander, A. A. C. (2026). Little Red Dots as globular clusters in formation. <i>The Astrophysical Journal Letters</i>. IOP Publishing. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae">https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae</a> Chisholm J, Berg DA, Boylan-Kolchin M, et al. Little Red Dots as globular clusters in formation. <i>The Astrophysical Journal Letters</i>. 2026;1004(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae">10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae</a> Chisholm J, Berg DA, Boylan-Kolchin M, De Graaff A, Furtak LJ, Kokorev V, Matthee JJ, Muñoz JB, Naidu RP, Sander AAC. 2026. Little Red Dots as globular clusters in formation. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 1004(1), L4. Chisholm, John, Danielle A. Berg, Michael Boylan-Kolchin, Anna De Graaff, Lukas J. Furtak, Vasily Kokorev, Jorryt J Matthee, Julian B. Muñoz, Rohan P. Naidu, and Andreas A.C. Sander. “Little Red Dots as Globular Clusters in Formation.” <i>The Astrophysical Journal Letters</i>. IOP Publishing, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae">https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae6dae</a>. 219982026-06-14T22:01:42Z2026-06-19T09:50:33Z