JWST finds possible "dark stars" from the dawn of the universe
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spotted four candidates for a new kind of star called "supermassive dark stars," dating back just 300 million years after the Big Bang.
Unlike regular stars, these giants might shine thanks to dark matter, not nuclear fusion.
What makes dark stars special?
These objects—named JADES-GS-z11-0, JADES-GS-z13-0, JADES-GS-z14-0, and JADES-GS-z14-1—are thought to be way bigger than normal stars (up to a million times the Sun's mass) and could be some of the first cosmic structures ever formed.
They were picked up by JWST's Near-Infrared Spectrograph at extreme distances.
Why does this matter?
Some of these candidates showed light signatures that fit what scientists expect from dark stars, including a rare helium absorption line.
If confirmed, they could help explain how supermassive black holes formed so early in the universe and give us clues about how dark matter shaped everything we see today.