article published yes Pierluigi Rinaldi author George H. Rieke author Zihao Wu author Carys J. E. Gilbert author Fabio Pacucci author Luigi Barchiesi author Stacey Alberts author Stefano Carniani author Andrew J. Bunker author Rachana Bhatawdekar author Francesco D’Eugenio author Zhiyuan Ji author Benjamin D. Johnson author Kevin Hainline author Vasily Kokorev author Nimisha Kumari author Edoardo Iani author 4053390a-6b68-11ef-9828-a3b8adef8d0a0000-0001-8386-3546 Jianwei Lyu author Roberto Maiolino author Eleonora Parlanti author Brant E. Robertson author Yang Sun author Cristian Vignali author Christina C. Williams author Christopher N. A. Willmer author Yongda Zhu author JoMa department Little red dots (LRDs) are compact, red sources discovered by JWST at high redshift (z ≳ 4), marked by distinctive “V-shaped” spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and often interpreted as rapidly accreting active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Their true nature remains unclear though, and their evolutionary connection to their lower-redshift counterparts is still poorly constrained. Thus, we present WISEA J123635.56+621424.2 (here dubbed the Saguaro), a z = 2.0145 galaxy in GOODS-North, as a possible analog of high-redshift LRDs and a potential missing link in their evolutionary path toward lower-redshift systems. It features a compact LRD-like nucleus surrounded by a face-on spiral host. Its connections to LRDs include the following: (1) its nuclear spectrum shows a clear “V-shaped” SED, and (2) when redshifted to z = 7, surface brightness dimming makes the host undetectable, thus mimicking an LRD. This suggests that high-redshift LRDs may be embedded in extended hosts. To test this, we stack rest-frame UV images of 99 photometrically selected LRDs, revealing faint, diffuse emission. Stacking in redshift bins reveals mild radial growth, consistent with the expected galaxy size evolution. A simple analytic model confirms that surface brightness dimming alone can explain their compact appearance. Lastly, we show that the Saguaro is not unique by describing similar objects from the literature at z ≲ 3.5. Taken together, our results support a scenario in which LRDs may not be a distinct population, but could be the visible nuclei of galaxies undergoing a short-lived, (perhaps) AGN-dominated evolutionary phase, with their compact, red appearance driven largely by observational biases. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/22950/22979/2026_AstrophysicalJour_Rinaldi.pdf application/pdfno IOP Publishing2026 eng 0004-637X 1538-4357 2507.1773810.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd 10062 Rinaldi, Pierluigi, George H. Rieke, Zihao Wu, Carys J. E. Gilbert, Fabio Pacucci, Luigi Barchiesi, Stacey Alberts, et al. “Beyond the Dot: An LRD-like Nucleus at the Heart of an IR-Bright Galaxy and Its Implications for High-Redshift LRDs.” <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>. IOP Publishing, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd">https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd</a>. Rinaldi P, Rieke GH, Wu Z, et al. Beyond the dot: An LRD-like nucleus at the heart of an IR-bright galaxy and its implications for high-redshift LRDs. <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>. 2026;1006(2). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd">10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd</a> P. Rinaldi <i>et al.</i>, “Beyond the dot: An LRD-like nucleus at the heart of an IR-bright galaxy and its implications for high-redshift LRDs,” <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>, vol. 1006, no. 2. IOP Publishing, 2026. Rinaldi, P., Rieke, G. H., Wu, Z., Gilbert, C. J. E., Pacucci, F., Barchiesi, L., … Zhu, Y. (2026). Beyond the dot: An LRD-like nucleus at the heart of an IR-bright galaxy and its implications for high-redshift LRDs. <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>. IOP Publishing. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd">https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd</a> Rinaldi, Pierluigi, et al. “Beyond the Dot: An LRD-like Nucleus at the Heart of an IR-Bright Galaxy and Its Implications for High-Redshift LRDs.” <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>, vol. 1006, no. 2, 205, IOP Publishing, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd">10.3847/1538-4357/ae80cd</a>. Rinaldi P, Rieke GH, Wu Z, Gilbert CJE, Pacucci F, Barchiesi L, Alberts S, Carniani S, Bunker AJ, Bhatawdekar R, D’Eugenio F, Ji Z, Johnson BD, Hainline K, Kokorev V, Kumari N, Iani E, Lyu J, Maiolino R, Parlanti E, Robertson BE, Sun Y, Vignali C, Williams CC, Willmer CNA, Zhu Y. 2026. Beyond the dot: An LRD-like nucleus at the heart of an IR-bright galaxy and its implications for high-redshift LRDs. The Astrophysical Journal. 1006(2), 205. P. Rinaldi, G.H. Rieke, Z. Wu, C.J.E. Gilbert, F. Pacucci, L. Barchiesi, S. Alberts, S. Carniani, A.J. Bunker, R. Bhatawdekar, F. D’Eugenio, Z. Ji, B.D. Johnson, K. Hainline, V. Kokorev, N. Kumari, E. Iani, J. Lyu, R. Maiolino, E. Parlanti, B.E. Robertson, Y. Sun, C. Vignali, C.C. Williams, C.N.A. Willmer, Y. Zhu, The Astrophysical Journal 1006 (2026). 229502026-09-17T11:05:32Z2026-09-22T06:14:37Z