Black Hole Accretion Disk [720p]

A black hole is a massive object whose gravitational field is so intense that no light (electromagnetic radiation) can escape it. Around many black holes is an accretion disk of material emitting energy as it falls into the black hole. This animation shows a cutaway of the accretion disk. The gap between the accretion disk and the black hole represents the innermost orbit matter can be in before plunging into the black hole. The radius of this innermost orbit depends on whether the black hole is rotating or not. If the black hole is rotating, material can orbit in more closely, causing the material to move faster than if the black hole is not rotating.

This animation provides a cutaway of a black hole's accretion disk, allowing the viewer to see inside.

credit: NASA

source: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?10139

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• black hole
• accretion disk

[Maxo12110]

Did you make these yourself? They're very good.

Please check out some of my Black Hole videos; I concentrate more on the black hole itself then the accretion disc/jets.

-Max

[djxatlanta]

@Maxo12110 - no, I did not create this video... if you scroll to the bottom of the descriptive text accompanying each of the videos I post, you should see proper credit and a link to the source material. Thanks for watching! - Michael

[Maxo12110]

@djxatlanta Oh, OK.

Still, very neat videos.

-Max

[djxatlanta]

@Maxo12110 - Yup! That's why I post them! I save the HD originals onto my media server hooked up to my TV -- they're fun to watch on a big screen, especially after a Saturday night out... or a lazy, hazy Sunday afternoon. =)

[lleksikon]

How is the jet produced? How does the material exit the orbit?

[djxatlanta]

@lleksikon - active black holes suck in more matter than it can consume, so the matter gets backlogged like a traffic jam... this excess matter is spiraling inward to the black hole at a huge velocity, slams into this traffic jam, is spun up to the poles and is ejected out into high-energy beams of gamma rays and other particles traveling away from the black hole at nearly the speed of light. When the black hole catches up with the eating the matter in the traffic jam, the polar jets die down.

[Maxo12110]

@djxatlanta Nice.

I make 3D black hole videos too, I guess maybe I'll try making a little Youtube documentary about them.

-Max