Chandrasekhar limit
[ shahn-druh-sey-kahr ]
/ ˌʃɑn drəˈseɪ kɑr /
noun Astronomy.
the mass limit above which a star has too much mass to become a white dwarf after gravitational collapse, approximately 1.44 solar masses.
Origin of Chandrasekhar limit
1975–80; after U.S. astrophysicist Subrahmanyan
Chandrasekhar (born 1910), who formulated it
British Dictionary definitions for chandrasekhar limit
Chandrasekhar limit
noun
astronomy
the upper limit to the mass of a white dwarf, equal to 1.44 solar masses. A star having a mass above this limit will continue to collapse to form a neutron star
Word Origin for Chandrasekhar limit
C20: named after S.
Chandrasekhar, who calculated it
Scientific definitions for chandrasekhar limit
Chandrasekhar limit
The maximum size of a stable white dwarf, approximately 3 X 1030 kg (about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun). Stars with mass higher than the Chandrasekhar limit ultimately collapse under their own weight and become neutron stars or black holes. Stars with a mass below this limit are prevented from collapsing by the degeneracy pressure of their electrons. See more at degeneracy pressure.