# Disk Jets (DD-495)

> Gas and even shredded stars spiraling toward a black hole form an accretion disk that heats through friction and glows. Magnetic fields threading the disk can launch relativistic jets, beams of particles accelerated to nearly the speed of light, perpendicular to the disk. The footage, credited to galaxies, shows an animation of an accretion disk and jets.

- Department: Space
- First published: 2025-02-22
- Last updated: 2025-02-22
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/disk-jets/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-495-F01**: Accretion disk. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Disk))_
- **DD-495-F02**: Friction. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Heat))_

## Write-up

Matter swirling into a black hole heats up through friction. Some is flung out in jets at near light speed.

1. **Disk**: Accretion disk.
2. **Heat**: Friction.
3. **Fuel**: Gas and stars.
4. **Jets**: Near light speed.
5. **Direction**: Perpendicular.

## Related case files

- [Quasi-Stellar (DD-106)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/quasi-stellar/): I linked more on quasars

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

## Video: Disk Jets: Matter Swirling Into a Black Hole Heats up Through Friction

- Duration: 26.1 s · Published: 2025-02-22
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DGZkj8yRy0A.mp4

### Transcript

For black holes [...] entire stars spiral [...] through friction [...] fed by [...] from a [...] also produce [...] accelerated to [...] the disk, [...] NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What heats the disk?**  
A: Viscosity. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Disk) · Wikipedia: Accretion disk)_

**Q: Jet speed?**  
A: Relativistic. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Heat) · Wikipedia: Accretion disk)_

**Q: Jet direction?**  
A: Poles. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Fuel) · Wikipedia: Accretion disk)_

**Q: What launches jets?**  
A: Fields. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Jets) · Wikipedia: Astrophysical jet)_

**Q: What feeds disks?**  
A: Matter. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Direction) · Wikipedia: Astrophysical jet)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Accretion disk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_disk)
- [Wikipedia: Astrophysical jet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophysical_jet)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Disk Jets." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-495, last updated Feb 22, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/disk-jets/