ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gas torus

A gas torus is like a donut made of gas that surrounds certain objects in space, like black holes or stars. Think of a donut you might eat for breakfast, but instead of being made of bread, it’s made of gas.

The gas in the torus is really hot and glows very brightly, so scientists can use telescopes to see it even though it’s very far away in space. This glowing gas can tell scientists important information about the object it surrounds, like how fast it’s spinning or whether it’s moving closer or farther away from us.

Gas tori can be found in many places in space, and they help us learn more about the universe and the objects in it.