The **Chandrasekhar Limit** or **Chandrasekhar Mass** is the maximum mass of a stable [[Stellar Classes#White Dwarf|white dwarf star]]. The currently accepted value of the Chandrasekhar limit is... $M_{\rm crit} \sim 1.4 \; {\rm M_{\odot}} \approx 2.765 \times 10^{30} \; {\rm kg}$ [[Stellar Classes#White Dwarf|White dwarfs]] resist gravitational collapse primarily through electron [[Degeneracy Pressure|degeneracy pressure]], unlike [[Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram#Main Sequence (MS)|main sequence]] stars which resist collapse through thermal pressure. The Chandrasekhar limit defines the mass at which electron degeneracy pressure is insufficient to balance the star's own gravitational self-attraction. *(For more details, see [[Question 52]])*