{
  "id": 676876,
  "title": "Mirage or miracle? JWST finds earliest known 'black hole star' at cosmic dawn",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/mirage-or-miracle-jwst-finds-earliest-known-black-hole-star-at-cosmic",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-12T15:00:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mirage-miracle-jwst-earliest-black.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have identified an early black hole star at cosmic dawn, as reported in a study published in Nature. This object, named MoM-BH*-1, may shed light on the formation of supermassive black holes, which are believed to lurk at the centers of massive galaxies. The finding comes from the JWST's \"Mirage or Miracle\" survey, which aimed to identify potentially groundbreaking objects, some of which were later dubbed \"little red dots.\" By analyzing the light spectrum of MoM-BH*-1, researchers detected a spectral jump called the Balmer break, which is typically associated with both supermassive black holes and stars. Unlike the little red dots, MoM-BH*-1 appears to be enshrouded by gas, which shifts its light emission toward the red end of the spectrum without blocking the view. This discovery provides an unobstructed view of the object's core, resolving a long-standing challenge in understanding the origin of little red dots. Theoretical models suggest that MoM-BH*-1, like other black hole stars, could grow rapidly through super-Eddington accretion, driven by a dense, turbulent gas envelope. If similar objects exist in host galaxies, they may serve as the central engines of baby quasars, helping to explain the formation of billion-solar-mass black holes in the early universe.",
  "summary": "Little red dots have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data from the universe's deep past. Their \"powering engines\" might resemble a newly discovered phenomenon dubbed a \"black hole star\"—an early, rapidly growing black hole wrapped in dense gas. This object, described in a study published today in Nature by researchers at the Institute of Science and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Scientific American",
        "title": "JWST images illuminate ‘black hole stars’ at cosmic dawn",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/jwst-images-illuminate-black-hole-stars-at-cosmic-dawn",
        "published": "2026-08-12T15:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}