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Astronomy/accretion disk of a black hole
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Question
Why does matter that is attracted by the strong gravitation of the black hole doesn`t fall directly into the black hole, but spirals inward and forms an accretion disk? Thank you in advance!!!
Aleksandar,
It seems to be because the matter is IN ORBIT around the black hole, before it falls in. The orbiting matter appears to us us a relatively stable accretion disc, before it actually gets sucked into the black hole. It's sort of like the rings of Saturn.
Also, in some cases the gas has a viscosity that slows it down a bit... Look at this Hubble link:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2001/03/text/results/100/layou...
Keep Looking Up!
-Ed
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Astronomy
Answers by Expert:
Ed
Expertise
I am not a professional astronomer by any means, but astronomy has been an interest of mine since childhood, and I am well-informed on the subject. If unable to answer someone`s question personally, I will know how to quickly find the answer online, because I keep myself informed about developments in the field and I know where to look for information.
Experience
I worked in an observatory for awhile at one point, doing various interesting things with a computer.
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