James Webb spotted a bizarre object just 660 million years after the Big Bang that looks like an enormous star but shines with roughly 100 billion Suns' worth of energy — because hidden inside its star-like cocoon is an accreting black hole, rather than a core - Space Daily

“Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a luminous, star‑like object existing just 660 million years after the Big Bang. The source appears as an enormous, ultra‑bright “star” emitting the energy of roughly 100 billion Suns, but detailed spectroscopy shows that its brilliance is powered by a rapidly accreting black hole hidden within a dense, gas‑rich cocoon rather than nuclear fusion in a stellar core. This discovery challenges conventional models of early‑universe galaxy formation and suggests that massive black holes could grow far earlier than previously thought. For the United States, the finding underscores the strategic value of continued investment in flagship space telescopes and reinforces America’s leadership in cutting‑edge astrophysics, potentially spurring STEM education demand and downstream technology development in optics, data processing, and high‑performance computing. Expert Analysis: The detection of a “black‑hole star” at cosmic dawn forces a revision of black‑hole seed theories, implying that rapid growth mechanisms were already in place. As U.S. research institutions capitalize on this breakthrough, we can expect a ripple effect that bolsters the domestic high‑tech sector and strengthens the case for sustained federal funding of large‑scale scientific missions.”