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
Most other moons are either captured planetesimals, or they formed along with the planet in a common accretion disc.Daniel Herwartz, et al.

Examples of accretion disk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This, in turn, can form an accretion disk around the black hole that emits powerful X-rays and visible light. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 June 2024 Supermassive black holes also feed on the cloud of spinning particles and gas surrounding them, also called an accretion disk. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2024 First discovered by Carl Seyfert in 1943, the glow is the result of the cold dust and gas surrounding the black hole, which can form orbiting accretion disks. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 June 2024 This led the team to conclude that these peaks occurred when the accretion disk was directly aligned with the telescope. Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for accretion disk 

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of accretion disk was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near accretion disk

Cite this Entry

“Accretion disk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accretion%20disk. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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