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Loading contentA rotating disk of gas spiralling into a compact object, heated until it glows brightly.
Gas falling toward a black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf forms a flattened, orbiting disk. Friction heats it to millions of degrees, making accretion disks around black holes some of the most luminous sources in the Universe — the engines of quasars.
Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.
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.
Southern-hemisphere observatory data and imagery (VLT, ALMA partner).