Black-hole physics · 3 Schwarzschild radii (non-spinning)
The Innermost Stable Circular Orbit
The closest orbit around a black hole in which matter can circle stably — at three Schwarzschild radii for a non-spinning black hole, and closer for a rapidly spinning one. Inside it, matter spirals inevitably inward. The ISCO sets the inner edge of an accretion disk and thus how much energy accretion can release.
Highlights
- ›The inner edge of an accretion disk
Classes, physics & objects
Across compact objects
Knowledge connections
- Associated withBlack Hole
- Associated withAccretion Disk
- Associated withThe Schwarzschild Radius
- Associated withBlack-Hole Mass Measurement
- Associated withQuasi-Periodic Oscillation
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.