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Chandrasekhar limit

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
Chandrasekhar limit [ˌtʃændrəˈsiːkə]
n
(Astronomy) 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
[named after Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-95), Indian-born US astronomer, who calculated it]
Chandrasekhar limit
The maximum size of a stable white dwarf, approximately 3 × 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.


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