answersLogoWhite

0

The Chandrasekhar Limit, also called the Chandrasekhar mass, is the point beyond which the "electron degeneracy pressure" within a white dwarf star no longer balances the star's own gravity.

It places an upper limit on the possible mass of a white dwarf.

If a white dwarf's gravity pulls material away from a neighboring star, adding it to the white dwarf and increasing its mass, the Chandrasekhar mass (roughly 1.4 times the mass of our Sun) can eventually be reached and surpassed.

When the balance between electron degeneracy pressure and gravity ends, the force of gravity rapidly collapses the white dwarf, and the resulting pressure and density result in a violent outward explosion that destroys the white dwarf. In Astronomy, this is known as a type Ia supernova.

There have been a small number of type Ia supernovae (supernova "2007if" was the second known) which were believed to occur at masses significantly above the Chandrasekhar limit. The prevailing theory is that in these cases, two white dwarves collided, resulting in the limit being abruptly exceeded.

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

What else can I help you with?