Astronomers have discovered a bizarre new cosmic phenomenon: a black hole that looks and shines remarkably like a star. Detected by the James Webb Space Telescope, the immense object known as MoM-BH*-1 is roughly the size of our solar system and emits an intense red glow. But unlike an ordinary star, its enormous energy output cannot be explained by nuclear fusion.
Published in Nature, the study suggests the object is a black hole wrapped in an extraordinarily dense, luminous gas cloud that makes the entire object shine. MoM-BH*-1 is estimated to be about 100 billion times more energetic than a typical star. Its light has traveled for billions of years, dating back to when the universe was just 660 million years old.
The idea of "black hole stars" was proposed nearly two decades ago, but this discovery could provide compelling evidence that such strange objects actually existed in the early universe. It may also help explain the mysterious "little red dots" JWST has been finding scattered across the young cosmos.