Artist's impression of a hot and dense accretion disk around a black hole, which can be a rich production site of heavy elements. (IMAGE)
Caption
Neutron-rich material is ejected from the disk, enabling the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process). The light blue region is a particularly fast ejection of matter, called a jet, which typically originates parallel to the disk's rotation axis.
Credit
Picture: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, USA
Usage Restrictions
Credit must be given to the creator. Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
License
CC BY-SA