JWST Detects MoM-BH*-1 100 Billion Times Brighter Than Any Star, Pointing to a Black Hole Star
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Aug 20
JWST Detects MoM-BH*-1 100 Billion Times Brighter Than Any Star, Pointing to a Black Hole Star
3 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Aug 20
Summary
MoM-BH*-1 appears as a compact red source from just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, with luminosity so extreme that ordinary stellar fusion cannot plausibly power it.
A Nature study says the best fit is a black hole star: a roughly 100,000-solar-mass black hole accreting inside a dense hydrogen envelope about 10 to 100 astronomical units across.
Its spectrum showed an exceptionally deep Balmer break of about 7.7, weak ultraviolet light and little evidence of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, making dust-obscured stars a poor explanation.
Researchers found the object in JWST's Mirage or Miracle survey at redshift 7.76, and tentative observations suggest its brightness may have changed by about 30%, a possible sign of active accretion.
The finding could clarify JWST's wider 'little red dots' mystery and suggest some early black holes grew rapidly while buried in thick gas, potentially revising mass estimates for other distant objects.
Could Webb's mysterious little red dots actually be cosmic trojan horses hiding million-solar-mass black holes inside?
If a black hole is devouring a giant star from the inside out, what happens when the gas envelope finally disappears?
MoM-BH*-1 and the "Black Hole Star": Solving the Mystery of Early-Universe Supermassive Black Holes
Overview
In August 2026, astronomers using JWST discovered MoM-BH*-1, an extremely bright red object that led to the proposal of a new class of cosmic source: the black hole star. This object shines with a luminosity far beyond any ordinary star, showing features like a dramatic Balmer break and energy levels similar to active black holes. Its dense gas envelope traps radiation, allowing the central black hole to grow rapidly in a short-lived phase. MoM-BH*-1, existing alone in space, serves as a prototype for understanding mysterious 'little red dots' and the early growth of supermassive black holes in the universe.