Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a new type of astrophysical object dubbed a “black hole star” [1].
The find represents a previously unknown class of astrophysical source, potentially altering scientific understanding of how the earliest structures in the universe formed [5].
Lead author Rohan Naidu, a NASA Hubble Fellow at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, headed the team that observed the extremely bright red source [1]. The object is located in a region of the early universe and existed roughly 660 million years after the Big Bang [4].
Researchers describe the object as having a physical size roughly the size of our solar system [2]. Despite its size, it emits about 100 billion times more energy than any known star [2]. Because of this extreme luminosity, the ScienceDaily editorial team said it looks like an enormous star but shines far too brightly to actually be one [3].
Scientists believe the object is not a star in the traditional sense. Instead, they think it is a massive black hole surrounded by an enormous envelope of gas [5]. This gas shell gives the object its star-like appearance while allowing the black hole to generate immense energy [5].
The discovery was announced this month, providing a glimpse into the universe as it existed approximately 13.1 billion years ago [4]. The team continues to analyze the data to determine the exact nature of the object's composition.
“Our picture of this object is evolving very rapidly,” Naidu said [1].
“It looks like an enormous star but shines far too brightly to actually be one.”
The identification of a 'black hole star' suggests that the early universe contained high-energy objects that do not fit into current stellar or galactic classifications. If these objects were common 13.1 billion years ago, they may have played a critical role in the growth of supermassive black holes and the ionization of the early cosmos.
