Astrophysical Terminology

noun a natural or artificial place where water is collected and stored for use, especially water for supplying a community, irrigating land, furnishing power, etc.

• The new reservoir will provide water for the entire city.
• Let's go fishing at the reservoir this weekend.
• I heard there's a cool spot to swim at the reservoir.
• Her mind was a reservoir of knowledge and wisdom.

noun a type of galaxy characterized by a central bulge and spiral arms extending from the center

• A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy characterized by its spiral arms containing stars, gas, and dust.
• Did you know that our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy?
• Check out that dope spiral galaxy picture I found online!
• Her thoughts were like a whirlwind in a spiral galaxy, constantly swirling and changing direction.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun

• The detection of gravitational waves confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
• Scientists were super excited when they finally detected those gravitational waves.
• Gravitational waves are like ripples in the fabric of spacetime.
• The discovery of gravitational waves opened up a whole new dimension in our understanding of the universe.

noun Astronomy. A rotating disk of matter formed by material falling into a gravitational source, such as a black hole or young star.

• The accretion disc surrounding a black hole plays a crucial role in capturing and funneling matter into the singularity.
• The stuff swirling around a black hole in the accretion disc is like a cosmic traffic jam.
• The accretion disc is like a buffet line for the black hole, just sucking up everything in sight.
• Her mind was like an accretion disc, constantly gathering new ideas and information.

noun Astronomical term referring to a rotating disk of matter formed around a celestial object, such as a star or black hole, through gravitational attraction

• The formation of stars often involves the accretion disks of gas and dust surrounding a protostar.
• Scientists study accretion disks to understand how stars are born.
• Check out these cool pics of accretion disks around black holes!
• Her mind was like a swirling accretion disk, absorbing new information constantly.