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Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a class of objects called little red dots that shine as brightly as entire galaxies despite being tiny. Two recent studies propose these are not standard black holes but black hole stars, massive lumps of hydrogen enveloping a central singularity. These sources appear so exotic that researchers claim no similar object has been detected by ground-based telescopes.

The existence of these objects remains unconfirmed, with a subset of astrophysicists arguing the data fits standard active galactic nuclei instead. If they are real, they rewrite the timeline of early universe structure, but the field is currently divided on interpretation.

more: https://www.quantamagazine.org/black-holes-or-black-hole-stars-astronomers-spar-over-webb-telescopes-little-red-dots-20260914/