Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified a new type of astronomical object called a black hole star, according to a study published in the journal Nature on August 12, 2026.
The discovery provides an explanation for Little Red Dots
appearing in images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of the early universe, roughly 1 billion years after the Big Bang. While astronomers previously used the word “galaxy” to describe these dots, some were found to be as small as 2% of the radius of the Milky Way.
The Nature of MoM-BH*-1
The researchers focused on a specific object named MoM-BH*-1. This object is approximately 100 billion times brighter than any known star, a level of energy that lead author Rohan Naidu said cannot be powered by nuclear fusion.
Simulations conducted by the team indicate the object likely consists of a central, active, accreting black hole roughly 100,000 times as massive as the sun. This core is surrounded by a dense cocoon of hydrogen roughly the size of the solar system. While other Little Red Dots are consistent with being black hole stars embedded in early galaxies, MoM-BH*-1 is distinct because it essentially completely outshines its host galaxy.
Spectral Evidence
The team identified several unique signatures in the light from the red dot that ruled out ordinary stars or interstellar dust:
- Composition: The light contained almost no signatures of metals or any elements other than hydrogen and helium.
- The Balmer Break: The researchers observed a “Balmer break,” where light completely disappeared below certain wavelengths. Naidu stated that this was
the deepest break we have ever observed in any object
, ruling out ordinary stars. - Color: While red colors in space are often attributed to dust, simulations showed that an extremely dense screen of hydrogen—more like a stellar surface than a nebula—could produce the observed red color without dust.
