Accretion disk — Free Astrophysics Illustration

Astrophysics

Accretion disk

A thin, flattened circular accretion disk of glowing hot gas surrounding a compact central object, viewed at a slight angle so the disk appears as a narrow ellipse. The center is typically a dark central hole or obscured compact object, sometimes bordered by a very bright inner rim. The hottest inner region glows white, blue-white, yellow-white, or white-yellow, then fades smoothly outward through pale yellow, orange, and red into a dimmer darker outer rim. The surface is smooth and luminous with subtle concentric banding or gently spiral texture suggesting rotating material and inward flow, and the disk has a clean, very thin layered silhouette. Render as clean scientific clipart with smooth gradient shading, crisp edges, and minimal background detail.

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