3212: Little Red Dots

2026-02-26T12:15:02Z

2607:F2C0:E59D:F170:0:0:0:4238: Remove baseless speculation about title text

{{comic
| number = 3212
| date = February 25, 2026
| title = Little Red Dots
| image = little_red_dots_2x.png
| imagesize = 634x306px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = After a lot of analysis, I've determined that they're actually big red dots; they're just very far away.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a LITTLE RED BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

The {{w|Little red dot (astronomical object)|little red dot}}s that the comic refers to are actually young black holes from 500-700 million years after the Big Bang observed by the JWST telescope. The comic purports to give the responses of several different experts in unrelated fields when asked to identify them:
* According to the {{w|Entomology|entomologists}} (scientists who study insects and related arthropods), they are {{w|Clover mite | clover mites}} (''Bryobia praetiosa'') — very small red arachnids.
* According to the {{w|Computer_science|computer scientists}}, they are {{w|defective pixel|stuck pixels}} — pixels that do not work properly, and are stuck to one single color (red in this case).
* According to the {{w|Dermatology|dermatologists}} (doctors who specialize in skin disorders), they are {{w|Cherry angioma|cherry angiomas}} — harmless, non-cancerous skin growths made of clusters of dilated capillaries, appearing as bright red, smooth, or slightly raised spots.
* According to the {{w|Graphic_design|graphic designers}}, they are colors of type [https://www.colorhexa.com/d73b3e Jasper] (● #d73b3e) and [https://www.colorhexa.com/e34234 Vermillion] (● #e34234, sometimes called Cinnabar).

Part of the punchline is the shift in focus: instead of trying to identify the object, the designer is nitpicking the description of "red dot." Additionally, the graphic designer is also requesting [[Cueball]]'s {{w|Color_calibration|color settings}}, implying they believe the reason Cueball calls them "red" is due to poor display settings, and not due to using the common term for the color.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above all the panels:]
:Astronomers asking researchers from different departments to help them identify the "little red dots" in JWST images:

:[In each panel, Cueball stands at the left of an easel. The easel is shown each time as having a black image with three red dots on it. At the right of the easel in each panel is a different character looking at the image on the easel and commenting on it. At the top of each panel is a caption indicating the type of researcher commenting on the image.]

:Caption: Entomologists
:Megan: Clover mites.

:Caption: Computer scientists
:Knit Cap: Stuck pixels.

:Caption: Dermatologists
:Ponytail: Cherry angiomas.

:Caption: Graphic designers
:Hairy: No, those are vermillion, or maybe jasper.
:Hairy: Can I see your color settings?

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Telescopes]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Graphic designers]]

3212: Little Red Dots

2026-02-26T12:14:20Z

2607:F2C0:E59D:F170:0:0:0:4238: Transcript is complete, removed notice

{{comic
| number = 3212
| date = February 25, 2026
| title = Little Red Dots
| image = little_red_dots_2x.png
| imagesize = 634x306px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = After a lot of analysis, I've determined that they're actually big red dots; they're just very far away.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a LITTLE RED BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

The {{w|Little red dot (astronomical object)|little red dot}}s that the comic refers to are actually young black holes from 500-700 million years after the Big Bang observed by the JWST telescope. The comic purports to give the responses of several different experts in unrelated fields when asked to identify them:
* According to the {{w|Entomology|entomologists}} (scientists who study insects and related arthropods), they are {{w|Clover mite | clover mites}} (''Bryobia praetiosa'') — very small red arachnids.
* According to the {{w|Computer_science|computer scientists}}, they are {{w|defective pixel|stuck pixels}} — pixels that do not work properly, and are stuck to one single color (red in this case).
* According to the {{w|Dermatology|dermatologists}} (doctors who specialize in skin disorders), they are {{w|Cherry angioma|cherry angiomas}} — harmless, non-cancerous skin growths made of clusters of dilated capillaries, appearing as bright red, smooth, or slightly raised spots.
* According to the {{w|Graphic_design|graphic designers}}, they are colors of type [https://www.colorhexa.com/d73b3e Jasper] (● #d73b3e) and [https://www.colorhexa.com/e34234 Vermillion] (● #e34234, sometimes called Cinnabar).

Part of the punchline is the shift in focus: instead of trying to identify the object, the designer is nitpicking the description of "red dot." Additionally, the graphic designer is also requesting [[Cueball]]'s {{w|Color_calibration|color settings}}, implying they believe the reason Cueball calls them "red" is due to poor display settings, and not due to using the common term for the color.

The title text is a reference to the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMiKyfd6hA0 Father Ted scene] from Series 2, Episode 1, titled "Hell", where Ted tries to explain perspective to Dougal while they are on holiday in a cramped caravan. He compares plastic toy cows to real cows in a distant field to illustrate that the former are small, while the latter are just "far away"

==Transcript==
:[Caption above all the panels:]
:Astronomers asking researchers from different departments to help them identify the "little red dots" in JWST images:

:[In each panel, Cueball stands at the left of an easel. The easel is shown each time as having a black image with three red dots on it. At the right of the easel in each panel is a different character looking at the image on the easel and commenting on it. At the top of each panel is a caption indicating the type of researcher commenting on the image.]

:Caption: Entomologists
:Megan: Clover mites.

:Caption: Computer scientists
:Knit Cap: Stuck pixels.

:Caption: Dermatologists
:Ponytail: Cherry angiomas.

:Caption: Graphic designers
:Hairy: No, those are vermillion, or maybe jasper.
:Hairy: Can I see your color settings?

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Telescopes]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Graphic designers]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3212: Little Red Dots

3212: Little Red Dots