The maximum mass (approximately 1.4 solar masses) that a white dwarf star can have before it collapses under its own gravity. Beyond this limit, electron degeneracy pressure cannot support the star against gravitational collapse.
Named after Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who calculated this limit in 1930. His work initially faced resistance but later earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983.
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