Astronomers have identified a strange cosmic object that could change our understanding of how supermassive black holes formed in the early universe.
Described as a "black hole star," the object is believed to be roughly the size of an entire solar system and shines with an unusually intense red glow.
The international team discovered it while studying images captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Their attention was drawn to an exceptionally bright red object known as MoM-BH-1, located in the constellation Cetus, or the Whale.
The object existed around 660 million years after the Big Bang, making it one of the earliest cosmic objects observed by astronomers.
What is a black hole star?
A black hole star is not a normal star with a black hole at its centre. Instead, scientists believe it could be a black hole surrounded by an enormous cloud of dense gas.
As the black hole pulls in surrounding matter, the material becomes extremely hot and releases huge amounts of energy. The thick gas surrounding the black hole can absorb and reprocess this energy, making the entire object appear from a distance like a giant, glowing star.
This could explain why MoM-BH-1 appears to exhibit characteristics of both stars and black holes. While its appearance resembles that of a massive star, its extraordinary energy output is much more consistent with a rapidly feeding black hole.
How could it have formed?
Scientists believe the object may have developed when a young black hole began consuming enormous amounts of gas in the early universe.
The process could have started with a rapidly growing black hole surrounded by large quantities of gas. As the black hole continued to pull in material, the gas became increasingly dense and energetic, eventually forming a thick envelope around it.
This gas envelope could have hidden the black hole from direct view while allowing the object to shine like a massive red star.
In simple terms, the proposed process is:
Young black hole → rapid gas accretion → dense gas envelope → intense radiation → star-like appearance
If this explanation is correct, black hole stars could represent a short-lived stage in the early growth of massive black holes.
How did scientists find it?
The discovery began with observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope, which is designed to study some of the earliest galaxies and objects in the universe.
While examining distant sources, astronomers noticed MoM-BH-1 because of its unusual red appearance. Its light was almost entirely concentrated toward the red end of the spectrum and showed a dramatic change below a particular wavelength.
The researchers then carried out detailed observations to study the object's spectrum. The results revealed features that were difficult to explain using an ordinary population of stars.
The team compared the observations with computer simulations and different theoretical models. Their calculations indicated that a black hole surrounded by a dense gas layer could better explain the object's unusual properties than a conventional star.
Could other 'little red dots' also be black hole stars?
The discovery could also help solve another mystery created by the James Webb Space Telescope.
JWST has detected numerous compact, unusually red objects in the early universe, informally known as "little red dots." Scientists are still working to understand exactly what these objects are.
Researchers suggest that some of them could be black holes hidden within dense gas clouds, similar to MoM-BH-1.
If that turns out to be the case, these objects could provide a missing link in the history of black hole formation.
Could black hole stars explain supermassive black holes?
One of the biggest questions in modern astronomy is how supermassive black holes became so massive so early in cosmic history.
These enormous black holes are found at the centres of most large galaxies, including the Milky Way. Some of them were already surprisingly massive when the universe was less than a billion years old, leaving scientists wondering how they grew so quickly.
Black hole stars could offer one possible explanation.
If young black holes were able to rapidly consume huge amounts of gas while remaining hidden inside dense envelopes, they may have been able to grow quickly in the early universe.
Over time, these objects could potentially evolve into the supermassive black holes found at the centres of galaxies today.
The researchers therefore believe black hole stars may represent an important stage in the evolution of some of the universe's most powerful objects.
However, more observations will be needed to confirm whether MoM-BH-1 is truly a black hole star and whether similar objects are responsible for the mysterious population of little red dots seen by JWST.
