New Insights into Cosmic Red Dots: The Mystery of Black Stars

In a new study, researchers have proposed that the small red dots observed in the early universe might actually be a new category of cosmic objects known as black stars. If this theory holds true, it could explain how black holes managed to grow to supermassive sizes before the universe was even a billion years old.

Cosmic Red Dots: A Universal Mystery

The small red dots are among the most intriguing celestial objects observed by the James Webb Space Telescope to date. Astronomers believe these are early galaxies that existed 700 million years after the Big Bang, differing from anything seen in the modern local universe, which is 13.8 billion years old.

If these small red dots are galaxies, they are surprisingly mature and developed for galaxies that appeared shortly after the Big Bang, filled with cold, old red stars. Some have dubbed them “universe breakers” because they challenge our previous understanding of galaxy formation and cosmic evolution.

A New Understanding of Red Dots

By analyzing the small red dots, researchers suggested they might be massive spheres of dense, hot gas resembling stellar atmospheres. However, instead of being powered by nuclear fusion like stars, the engines of these objects are supermassive black holes voraciously consuming surrounding material and releasing energy.

Researcher Joel Leja from the University of Pennsylvania stated, “We looked at enough red dots until we found one with so much atmosphere that it couldn’t be explained as typical stars we expect from a galaxy.”

Red Dots Facing the “Cliff”

Researchers began to consider the small red dots as ancient galaxies, but in 2024, by examining the light from these objects at different wavelengths, they discovered a large object they named “the Cliff.” Located about 12 billion light-years from Earth, “the Cliff” is precisely the type of object they needed to analyze to understand the nature of the small red dots.

Spectral analyses of the Cliff indicated that it originates from a single body, not a densely packed cluster of stars. It appears to be the result of a supermassive black hole consuming material so voraciously that it is surrounded by a fiery sphere of gas.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that “black stars” might be the initial phase in the formation of the giant black holes we see in galaxies today. However, much remains to be learned, as the universe continues to hold great surprises for humanity. The James Webb Space Telescope remains on a mission to explore and understand these mysterious objects.