Physical concept · Astrophysics
Accretion Disk
Cosmology & UniverseEstablished Science
Definition
A rotating disk of gas spiralling into a compact object, heated until it glows brightly.
Scientific overview
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.
Related topics
Knowledge connections
- Related toThe Event Horizon
- Related toBlack Hole
- Related toQuasar
- Related toActive Galactic Nucleus
- Required byQuasar
- Required byActive Galactic Nucleus
- Associated withThe Innermost Stable Circular Orbit
- Associated withRelativistic Jet
- Associated withQuasi-Periodic Oscillation
- Associated withBondi Accretion
- Associated withX-ray Pulsar
- Associated withCygnus X-1 (black hole)
- Associated withV404 Cygni
Sources & references
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.
- ESOEuropean Southern Observatory
Southern-hemisphere observatory data and imagery (VLT, ALMA partner).