Astronomers Discover Object That Shines Like a Star But Is a Black Hole in Türkiye

An international team of astronomers has identified a mysterious object in the early universe that looks like a star but is actually a massive black hole surrounded by dense gas clouds. The object, located billions of light-years away in the constellation Cetus, formed 660 million years after the Big Bang. While its appearance resembles a massive star, it releases 100 billion times more energy than any known star.

The immense energy output matches the behavior of black holes rather than stars, leading astronomers to describe it as a unique structure. Scientists say the object is not a traditional star powered by nuclear fusion but a massive black hole surrounded by dense gas clouds that make it glow like a star. The research, published in the journal Nature, suggests other mysterious red dots in space images could be similar structures. Experts believe black hole stars played a critical role in galaxy evolution, serving as seeds for the supermassive black holes found at the centers of many galaxies today, including the Milky Way.