Cosmic Oddity: JWST Identifies a One-in-a-Billion Black-Hole Star

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified MoM-BH*-1, a rare hybrid object that blends a star-like gas cloud with a black hole about 100,000 solar masses. It emits energy far exceeding typical stellar formations and is about 100 billion times brighter than the average star, even outshining its host galaxy. This “black-hole star” could explain the little red dots seen in JWST images from the dawn of the universe and may shed light on how the first cosmic structures formed; researchers will continue studying its size and atmospheric composition with JWST starting in December.