Eddington limit

/ ˈɛdɪŋtən /

noun

1. astronomy the theoretical upper limit of luminosity that a star of a given mass can reach; occurs when the outward force of the radiation just balances the inward gravitational force

Word History and Origins

Origin of Eddington limit¹

C20: named after A. S. Eddington (1882–1944), English astronomer and physicist

Example Sentences

Wolf-Rayets, it turns out, are so luminous that they flirt with this “Eddington limit,” causing their surface layers to be continually driven off by the stars' incandescent glare.

From Scientific American

This luminosity depends on the mass of the accreting black hole, and therefore defines a maximum growth rate, known as the Eddington limit, for the system.

From Nature

This is called the Eddington limit, and it is thought to severely hinder the rate at which any black hole can swallow matter and grow.

From Scientific American

The advantage of models using small seeds is that such welterweight black holes are relatively straightforward to make; the disadvantage is that to rapidly grow into supermassive black holes they must treat the Eddington “limit” as more of a suggestion, and rely on various potential exceptions to circumvent its constraints.

From Scientific American

"Because they are so massive, they are all close to their so-called Eddington limit, which is the maximum luminosity a star can have before it rips itself apart; and so they've got really powerful outflows. They are shedding mass at a fair rate of knots," the astronomer added - up to an Earth mass of gaseous material per month.

From BBC