accretion disk
noun
variants
or less commonly accretion disc
plural accretion disks also accretion discs
: a disk of usually gaseous matter surrounding a massive celestial object (such as a black hole) in which the matter gradually spirals in toward and accretes onto the object as a result of gravitational attraction
Evans' team studied a supermassive black hole with jets 800 million light-years away named 3C 33. They never found an expected X-ray pattern … which results from light reflecting off the accretion disk.—
Bill Andrews
Bill AndrewsMost other moons are either captured planetesimals, or they formed along with the planet in a common accretion disc.—Daniel Herwartz, et al.
Daniel Herwartz, et al.Examples of accretion disk in a Sentence
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The team also found that the strength of the magnetic field increased the brightness of the black hole's accretion disk.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Studying flares in accretion disks like those of Sagittarius A* can help scientists learn more about black holes in general, says Dr. Moiya McTier, an astrophysicist.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 20 Feb. 2025
The gas and dust swirl together at high speeds, forming the accretion disk that feeds the black hole.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Feb. 2025
Not all of the material in an accretion disk is fed into the central black hole; some is channeled to its poles by powerful magnetic fields.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accretion disk
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Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Studying flares in accretion disks like those of Sagittarius A* can help scientists learn more about black holes in general, says Dr. Moiya McTier, an astrophysicist.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 20 Feb. 2025
The gas and dust swirl together at high speeds, forming the accretion disk that feeds the black hole.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Feb. 2025
Not all of the material in an accretion disk is fed into the central black hole; some is channeled to its poles by powerful magnetic fields.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accretion disk
Cite this Entry
“Accretion disk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accretion%20disk. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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