The maximum mass (approximately 1.4 solar masses) that a white dwarf star can have while being supported by electron degeneracy pressure. Stars exceeding this limit will collapse further, typically forming neutron stars or black holes.
Named after Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who calculated this limit in 1930 using quantum mechanics and special relativity. His work was initially controversial but later earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983.
The Chandrasekhar mass is nature's ultimate weight limit for white dwarfs - exceed it and the star faces catastrophic collapse! This limit is crucial for Type Ia supernovae, which occur when white dwarfs accumulate matter from companions and approach this critical mass, making them standard candles for measuring cosmic distances.
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