accretor

In astronomy and astrophysics, an accretor is a celestial object that is growing in mass due to its gravitational attraction. This process, known as accretion, involves material like gas, plasma, dust, or particles forming a disklike flow around the object. This material slowly spirals inward, losing energy and angular momentum as it does.12

Accretion disks are crucial in the formation of stars and planets. They are also associated with powerful emissions from objects like quasars, radio galaxies, and X-ray binaries. The accretor itself can range from a forming star or planet to more compact objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. The energy released from this process is immense, with accretion onto neutron stars or black holes being more efficient than thermonuclear reactions and powering some of the universe's most energetic phenomena.1