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Astronomers may have discovered a completely new type of space object that looks like a giant star but is actually powered by a black hole.
The object, named MoM-BH-1*, was spotted by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in the early universe, a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Scientists said the object is surrounded by a huge cloud of gas that is roughly the size of our solar system. At its centre could be a black hole about 100,000 times more massive than the Sun.
"It shines with the energy typically associated with black holes, but at the same time bears signatures classically associated with stars," said Dr Rohan Naidu at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Initially, scientists thought the object could be an unusually large star, but researchers found that it produces around 100 billion times more energy than a normal star can generate. Scientists believe the object could be a black hole surrounded by an extremely thick cloud of gas.
"The way its light is almost entirely red, and abruptly disappears below a certain wavelength, is so dramatic that there is no comparison among any known class of objects," Naidu said.
ALSO READ |Scientists discover largest black hole ever, 36 billion times Sun's mass
The discovery could also help explain the mysterious ‘Little Red Dots’ frequently seen in James Webb Space Telescope images. Researchers believe many of these objects could be similar black hole stars.
Scientists think these black-hole stars may have acted as the starting points for the huge black holes now found at the centres of galaxies, including our Milky Way.
According to Naidu, these black holes may influence when new stars are born and when star formation stops.
"They may govern when stars are able to form and when they cease forming, setting the course for everything that follows from star formation: the birth of planets, the rise of life, the emergence of species that may one day piece together this entire history," he said.
The object, named MoM-BH-1*, was spotted by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in the early universe, a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Scientists said the object is surrounded by a huge cloud of gas that is roughly the size of our solar system. At its centre could be a black hole about 100,000 times more massive than the Sun.
"It shines with the energy typically associated with black holes, but at the same time bears signatures classically associated with stars," said Dr Rohan Naidu at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Initially, scientists thought the object could be an unusually large star, but researchers found that it produces around 100 billion times more energy than a normal star can generate. Scientists believe the object could be a black hole surrounded by an extremely thick cloud of gas.
"The way its light is almost entirely red, and abruptly disappears below a certain wavelength, is so dramatic that there is no comparison among any known class of objects," Naidu said.
ALSO READ |Scientists discover largest black hole ever, 36 billion times Sun's mass
The discovery could also help explain the mysterious ‘Little Red Dots’ frequently seen in James Webb Space Telescope images. Researchers believe many of these objects could be similar black hole stars.
Scientists think these black-hole stars may have acted as the starting points for the huge black holes now found at the centres of galaxies, including our Milky Way.
According to Naidu, these black holes may influence when new stars are born and when star formation stops.
"They may govern when stars are able to form and when they cease forming, setting the course for everything that follows from star formation: the birth of planets, the rise of life, the emergence of species that may one day piece together this entire history," he said.
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