// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Accretion
The process by which matter gathers together to form a larger body, like how planets form from dust and gas in a protoplanetary disk.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Accretion is the gravitational accumulation of matter, such as dust, gas, and planetesimals, into a larger celestial body, a fundamental process in the formation of stars, planets, and black holes within protoplanetary disks.
BACKGROUND
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. It is the largest telescope in space, and is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. This enables investigations across many fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Accumulation
- aggregation
- coalescence
- growth
USAGE NOTE
Accretion disks are common features around young stars and black holes, indicating ongoing mass transfer.