Space exploration began with the launch of Sputnik and Astrophysics was born as the application of physics to the phenomena observed by Astronomy, which etymologically means laws of the stars.
There are 2759 entries in this glossary.| Term | Definition |
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| Accretion Disk |
Accretion is the increase in mass of a celestial body by the addition of matter or smaller objects. An accretion disk is a disk of material surrounding an accreting object. Accretion often occurs by mans of an accretion disk.
Accretion disks occur in close binary star systems in which gas flows from one star to the other, and at the centers of galaxies. They play a prominent part in active galactic nuclei.
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