Accretion Disk
A rotating disk of gas, dust, and other matter that spirals into a central massive object like a black hole. The material heats up due to friction and gravitational forces, emitting radiation across various wavelengths.
Source: nasa.gov
APODs including "Accretion Disk"
Nova Cygni 1992
27/12/1995
In 1992 a tremendous explosion occurred in the constellation of Cygnus. Dubbed Nova Cygni 1992, this event most probably occurred in an accretion disk binary system. Astronomers hypothesize that this system's white dwarf had so much gas dumped onto it's surface that conditions became ripe for nuclear fusion. The resulting thermonuclear detonation blasted much of the surrounding gas into an expanding shell. The Hubble Space Telescope photographed this expanding shell in 1994. Nova Cygni 1992 was the brightest nova in recent history - at its brightest it could be seen without a telescope. It was observed in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.