Scientists spot mysterious stars powered by dark matter

Astronomers using the James Webb Telescope have made a fascinating discovery, spotting what could be three ancient and colossal stars powered by dark matter.

These enigmatic objects, dubbed "dark stars," could have originated around 400 million years after the Big Bang, and their existence could shed light on the mysteries of dark matter and resolve discrepancies in our cosmological model.

In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers detailed their findings, which could have far-reaching implications for our understanding of the universe.

Dark matter, which makes up about 27% of the cosmos, remains invisible because it does not interact with light. However, its effects on gravity offer clues to its existence and role in the formation of galaxies and stars.

The scientists propose that dark matter may consist of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) that self-annihilate upon collision, releasing heat. If these WIMPs collide within a cloud of collapsing hydrogen atoms, the resulting energetic interactions could power the formation of a dark star.

By their estimates, a dark star could be several million times the mass of our sun, while shining up to ten billion times as bright.