A close encounter more than 10,000 years ago stirred up spirals in the accretion disk surrounding the black hole at the center of our galaxy. Dr. LU Xing, an associate researcher from the Shanghai ...

Starting from the upper left and moving clockwise from large to small scales: upper left —"spiral-like" system; upper right — "bar-like" structure; lower right — rotating infalling envelope; lower ...

When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, tidal forces tear it apart, producing a bright flare of radiation as material from the star falls into the black hole. Astronomers study the ...

Caption Computer simulation of the disruption of a star by a black hole shows the formation of an eccentric accretion disk of stellar material spiraling into the black hole. This image from a video of ...

Astronomers have caught a free‑floating “rogue planet” in the act of bulking up at a rate that defies intuition, swallowing ...

The flow of matter around a young star could prevent stars from being ripped apart as they form. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Astronomers have mapped the 'disk winds' associated with the accretion disk around Hercules X-1, a system in which a neutron star is drawing material away from a sun-like star. The findings may offer ...

Chondrules are one of the most primitive elements that can serve as a fundamental clue as to the origin of our Solar system. We investigate a formation scenario of chondrules that involves ...

Black holes are, by definition, places where gravity is so strong, not even light can escape. So, they’re black — dark — and impossible to image. Right? Why is there a disk at all? Can’t all the ...