The Chandrasekhar limit is the maximum mass of a white dwarf, and is approximately 3 × 1030 kg, around 1.4 times the mass of the Sun.
The heat generated by a star pushes the atmosphere of the star out. As the star runs out of fuel the atmosphere collapses back on the star's core. If the star has a mass below the Chandrasekhar limit this collapse is limited by electron degeneracy pressure, which results in a stable white dwarf. If the star has a mass above the Chandrasekhar limit it has sufficient gravity to collapse past the white dwarf stage and become a neutron star or black hole.
The Chandrasekhar limit arises from taking account of the effects of special relativity in considering the behaviour of the electrons providing the degeneracy pressure supporting the white dwarf. In the classical approximation a white dwarf may be arbitrarily massive with its volume inversely proportional to its mass. In the relativistic calculation the typical energies to which degeneracy pressure forces the electrons in a massive white dwarf are non-negligible relative to their rest masses and a limiting mass emerges for a self-gravitating, spherically symmetric body supported by degeneracy pressure.
If a white dwarf in a binary system with a giant star accretes enough material to exceed the Chandrasekhar limit, the star collapses and becomes a type I supernova.
The limit was calculated by the Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
Common misspelling and questions (FAQ)
handrasekhar-limit candrasekhar-limit chndrasekhar-limit chadrasekhar-limit chanrasekhar-limit chandasekhar-limit chandrsekhar-limit chandraekhar-limit chandraskhar-limit chandrasehar-limit chandrasekar-limit chandrasekhr-limit chandrasekha-limit chandrasekharlimit chandrasekhar-imit chandrasekhar-lmit chandrasekhar-liit chandrasekhar-limt chandrasekhar-limi hcandrasekhar-limit cahndrasekhar-limit chnadrasekhar-limit chadnrasekhar-limit chanrdasekhar-limit chandarsekhar-limit chandrsaekhar-limit chandraeskhar-limit chandraskehar-limit chandrasehkar-limit chandrasekahr-limit chandrasekhra-limit chandrasekha-rlimit chandrasekharl-imit chandrasekhar-ilmit chandrasekhar-lmiit chandrasekhar-liimt chandrasekhar-limti chandrasekhar-limi cchandrasekhar-limit chhandrasekhar-limit chaandrasekhar-limit channdrasekhar-limit chanddrasekhar-limit chandrrasekhar-limit chandraasekhar-limit chandrassekhar-limit chandraseekhar-limit chandrasekkhar-limit chandrasekhhar-limit chandrasekhaar-limit chandrasekharr-limit chandrasekhar--limit chandrasekhar-llimit chandrasekhar-liimit chandrasekhar-limmit chandrasekhar-limiit chandrasekhar-limitt dhandrasekhar-limit xhandrasekhar-limit fhandrasekhar-limit fhandrasekhar-limit vhandrasekhar-limit cyandrasekhar-limit cgandrasekhar-limit cbandrasekhar-limit cuandrasekhar-limit cnandrasekhar-limit cuandrasekhar-limit cjandrasekhar-limit cnandrasekhar-limit chqndrasekhar-limit chwndrasekhar-limit chzndrasekhar-limit chwndrasekhar-limit chsndrasekhar-limit chzndrasekhar-limit chahdrasekhar-limit chabdrasekhar-limit chajdrasekhar-limit chajdrasekhar-limit chamdrasekhar-limit chanerasekhar-limit chansrasekhar-limit chanxrasekhar-limit chanrrasekhar-limit chancrasekhar-limit chanrrasekhar-limit chanfrasekhar-limit chancrasekhar-limit chand4asekhar-limit chandeasekhar-limit chanddasekhar-limit chand5asekhar-limit chandfasekhar-limit chand5asekhar-limit chandtasekhar-limit chandfasekhar-limit chandrqsekhar-limit chandrwsekhar-limit chandrzsekhar-limit chandrwsekhar-limit chandrssekhar-limit chandrzsekhar-limit chandrawekhar-limit chandraaekhar-limit chandrazekhar-limit chandraeekhar-limit chandraxekhar-limit chandraeekhar-limit chandradekhar-limit chandraxekhar-limit chandras3khar-limit chandraswkhar-limit chandrasskhar-limit chandras4khar-limit chandrasdkhar-limit chandras4khar-limit chandrasrkhar-limit chandrasdkhar-limit chandraseihar-limit chandrasejhar-limit chandrasemhar-limit chandraseohar-limit chandrase,har-limit chandraseohar-limit chandraselhar-limit chandrase,har-limit chandrasekyar-limit chandrasekgar-limit chandrasekbar-limit chandrasekuar-limit chandraseknar-limit chandrasekuar-limit chandrasekjar-limit chandraseknar-limit chandrasekhqr-limit chandrasekhwr-limit chandrasekhzr-limit chandrasekhwr-limit chandrasekhsr-limit chandrasekhzr-limit chandrasekha4-limit chandrasekhae-limit chandrasekhad-limit chandrasekha5-limit chandrasekhaf-limit chandrasekha5-limit chandrasekhat-limit chandrasekhaf-limit chandrasekhar0limit chandrasekharplimit chandrasekhar[limit chandrasekhar-oimit chandrasekhar-kimit chandrasekhar-,imit chandrasekhar-pimit chandrasekhar-.imit chandrasekhar-pimit chandrasekhar-;imit chandrasekhar-.imit chandrasekhar-l8mit chandrasekhar-lumit chandrasekhar-ljmit chandrasekhar-l9mit chandrasekhar-lkmit chandrasekhar-l9mit chandrasekhar-lomit chandrasekhar-lkmit chandrasekhar-lijit chandrasekhar-linit chandrasekhar-likit chandrasekhar-likit chandrasekhar-li,it chandrasekhar-lim8t chandrasekhar-limut chandrasekhar-limjt chandrasekhar-lim9t chandrasekhar-limkt chandrasekhar-lim9t chandrasekhar-limot chandrasekhar-limkt chandrasekhar-limi5 chandrasekhar-limir chandrasekhar-limif chandrasekhar-limi6 chandrasekhar-limig chandrasekhar-limi6 chandrasekhar-limiy chandrasekhar-limig chandrasekhar-lymit chandrasekhar-limiy chandrasekhar-limity chandrasekhar-limitsEverything showed that the 66º 40' south latitude. The aeronef was within fourteen hundred miles globe, her speed eating up, so to speak, her weight, although she pole. It seemed as though she could have dispensed altogether with height that Robur thought it best to reduce the speed of her helices was given to keep the aeronef under control of the rudder. Amid these dangers the engineer retained his imperturbable coolness, them. Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans had not for a moment left the slight resistance. The aeronef was like an aerostat, which drifts is it a palaeocrystic sea, whose ice melts not even during the long colder than the northern one--a phenomenon due to the position of It was by the seventy-fifth meridian to the west that the "Albatross" out--if she ever came out? As she descended more to the south the length of the day diminished. illuminated only by the rays of the moon or the pale streamers of the see nothing of the regions whose secret has hitherto defied human for the temperature, was not nearly so low as was expected. It seemed as though the hurricane was a sort of Gulf.