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| physical phenomena > process > physical process > motion > mass motion > contraction > accretion | 
| accretion comparison table | ||
| Subject | is a kind of | has definition | 
|---|---|---|
| contraction | mass motion | A mass motion towards the center of gravity of a celestial body | 
| accretion | contraction | A process by which a star accumulates matter as it moves through a dense cloud of interstellar gas; or, more generally, whereby matter surrounding a star flows toward it (as in close binaries). | 
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