Cosmology

How we might finally find black holes from the cosmic dawn

Primordial black holes may have been born just after the Big Bang—and might explain dark matter

A black hole surrounded by stars

Scientists are on the hunt for black holes that could have formed before the first stars and galaxies.

NASA and G. Bacon/STSCI

By Elizabeth Quill

An undiscovered population of ancient black holes may be lurking throughout the universe. These bottomless cosmic pits would have a lot in common with more familiar black holes; in some cases, the two may be indistinguishable. But unlike their kin, these undiscovered black holes wouldn’t have formed from a massive star collapsing in on itself, nor would they be peers of the supermassive black holes that feed at the centers of galaxies.