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$\begingroup$ Okay! Yes, that I can understand thank you! The thing I don't get is if the angular momentum of each star/object is different (and not all are, but most), wouldn't there be a whole bunch of varying orbits around the black hole, not just the flat accretion disk with pretty much the same orbits? Also, yes you are correct light does not orbit sorry I did not mean to say that. I was kinda trying to decribe gravitational lensing but couldn't remember the word. thanks! $\endgroup$
– Kimberly Bailey
Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 2:14
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$\begingroup$ @Kimberly But light can orbit a black hole, in the photon sphere, although as that article mentions, those orbits are rarely stable. And of course the photons in the photon sphere aren't visible to observers outside the photon sphere. $\endgroup$
– PM 2Ring
Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 8:11
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$\begingroup$ @Kimberly Bailey Ah I see what you mean. The answer is that space is actually really empty. For an accretion disk to form a star had to orbit and thus be in its neighbourhood. To give you a bit of a perspective: when our galaxy collides with andromeda, chances are pretty high that no stars will collide at all, just because the distances between them are so immensly vast. The accretion disk dissapears before there is even a chance for a second one to appear. $\endgroup$
– Jeroen
Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 8:41
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$\begingroup$ ^^ Oh wow, that is very interesting I did not know that!! $\endgroup$
– Kimberly Bailey
Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 3:06
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$\begingroup$ Okay, that makes sense! So really, the chances of even one star oribiting a black hole are pretty low, and multiple objects/stars is close to none? That would explain a lot, thanks for all the information and help! $\endgroup$
– Kimberly Bailey
Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 3:10

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