Webb Telescope May Have Found Birthplaces of Massive Black Holes

Dark stars could solve three major mysteries of the early universe

JWST has revealed a strange early universe filled with ultra-bright “blue monster” galaxies, mysterious “little red dots,” and black holes that seem far too massive for their age. A new study proposes that dark stars—hypothetical stars powered by dark matter—could tie all these surprises together. These exotic objects may have grown huge very quickly, lighting up the early cosmos and planting the seeds of supermassive black holes.

Early universe’s ‘little red dots’ may be black hole stars

Scientists Use JWST to Examine Ancient Monster Stars That May Reveal the Birth of Black Holes | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & SmithsonianFacebookTwitterCenter for AstrophysicsFacebookInstagramYouTubeLinkedIn

Phoenix, AZ (January 6, 2026)— Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) have revealed the universe's most mysterious distant objects, known as little red dots, may actually be gigantic, short-lived stars.The findings offer a direct glimpse into how the universe's first supermassive black holes may have formed, marking a breakthrough in scientists' understanding …

Mysterious ‘Little Red Dots’ in Space Are Likely Cloaked Black Holes

Puzzling red spots in images from the James Webb Space Telescope are probably young supermassive black holes obscured by dense cocoons of gas

Little red dots as young supermassive black holes in dense ionized cocoons

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has uncovered many compact galaxies at high redshift with broad hydrogen and helium lines, including the enigmatic population of little red dots (LRDs)1,2. The nature of these galaxies is debated and is attributed to supermassive black holes (SMBHs)3,4 or intense star formation5. They exhibit unusual properties for SMBHs, such as black holes that are overmassive for their host galaxies4 and extremely weak X-…

Are mysterious 'Little Red Dots' discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope actually nurseries for direct-collapse black holes?

The mysteries of Little Red Dots and supermassive black hole growth in the early universe could be explained if these objects discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope are nurseries for direct-collapse black holes.