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The most distant “black hole star” ever found, seen less than 660 million years after the Big Bang, may help explain the mysterious “little red dots” seen in James Webb Space Telescope images of the early universe. Researchers think these objects are rapidly growing supermassive black holes buried inside thick clouds of gas that make them look like cool red stars.

The newly discovered object, MoM-BH*-1, was found in the Mirage or Miracle (MoM) survey and appears to be the best example yet of a “naked” black hole star, meaning it is likely not embedded in a larger galaxy. Its spectrum suggests that light from gas falling into the black hole is heating the surrounding cloud, which then glows from within.

MoM-BH*-1 lies near a young galaxy at the same redshift, and astronomers estimate the two may merge in about 100 million years. When the team modelled what that merged system would look like, it resembled the little red dots already seen in JWST data, strengthening the idea that those dots may be black hole stars in young galaxies.

The discovery adds weight to the view that some little red dots are the early growth phase of supermassive black holes, before they emerge as quasars.

The findings were published in Nature on Aug. 13.

Reference:

Cooper, K. (2026, 12 August). Farthest black hole star ever found could help solve the James Webb Space Telescope’s little red dot mystery. Space,

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Coram Deo — before the face of God. This blog reflects on Scripture, world events, science, music, psychology, and the human mind — always through the lens of Christian faith. All of life is lived before the face of God.