Researchers Found Mysterious Objects That Could Be "Dark Stars"

Scientists studying new data from the James Webb Space Telescope have found three strange objects in 2025 that may be something called dark stars. These objects could change how scientists understand the birth of the first stars in the universe. The idea of dark stars has existed for years, but these findings have brought it back into focus, reported Space.com.

While the name may suggest otherwise, dark stars are neither truly dark nor typical stars. The word "dark" here refers not to their colour or brightness, but to a different type of energy they emit, called dark matter.

According to scientists, dark stars are extremely large. Their massiveness distinguishes them from normal stars. Their most distinctive feature is that they emit light not from nuclear fusion like normal stars, but from energy released from dark matter.

Dark matter constitutes approximately 27 percent of the universe, yet scientists cannot observe it directly. We typically perceive space through light and other electromagnetic waves. Normal matter is visible because it contains electrically charged particles.

Dark matter is considered distinct from this. Many scientists believe it may be composed of particles that have no electrical charge. Because of this, dark matter neither absorbs nor reflects light, nor does it emit light itself. 

Some scientific theories suggest that dark matter particles are their own antiparticles. An antiparticle is the opposite form of a particle. When a particle collides with its antiparticle, both annihilate, producing energy.

If dark matter particles behave in this way, their collisions in dense regions could release a significant amount of energy. Scientists believe this energy plays a key role in the formation of dark stars, especially when the dark matter within these objects is present in very dense quantities.

It is generally believed that after the Big Bang, clouds of hydrogen and helium collapsed under gravity. As they heated up, nuclear fusion began, forming the first stars.

Dark stars present a different picture from this thinking. In 2008, scientists suggested that dark matter was not merely a passive element in the early universe, but could have played an active role.

When dark matter particles collided and released energy, the heat generated could have prevented gas clouds from colliding completely, creating a body that would shine with dark matter energy instead of fusion.

For this reason, dark stars can last much longer than normal stars, and their surfaces are relatively cool, giving their light a different appearance.

Dark stars are expected to have certain unique properties. They are very ancient and exhibit a strong redshift, meaning their light is shifted into infrared wavelengths due to the expansion of the universe.

They consist primarily of hydrogen and helium, while heavier elements are rarely present. Dark stars are believed to be extremely large, reaching dozens of astronomical units in size. Despite their cool surface, they appear quite bright due to their enormous size.

Data from the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed some extremely distant objects that are much brighter and perhaps more massive than early stars or galaxies. Some scientists believe these could be dark stars and consider them the earliest evidence of their existence.

The end of a dark star depends on its size. In smaller dark stars, when their dark matter runs out, normal nuclear fusion can begin, and they gradually become normal stars.

Not all scientists agree that these objects are truly dark stars. Some say they could simply be unusual galaxies or extremely massive normal stars that formed by accreting surrounding matter. Others believe that data from current telescopes cannot clearly distinguish the difference.

Scientists believe that more observations and better theories are needed to solve this puzzle. Until then, dark stars remain an intriguing possibility that could change our understanding of the universe's early history.