S. Chandrasekhar

The Chandrasekhar limit, calculated by S. Chandrasekhar in 1930, is the maximum mass (about 1.4 times the mass of our Sun) that a stable white dwarf star can have. If a star's remaining core exceeds this mass limit, it cannot support itself against gravitational collapse and will explode in a supernova or collapse into a neutron star or black hole. This principle is crucial for understanding the life cycle and death of stars.

Yes, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside William A. Fowler. The Nobel Committee honored him for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars. Much of the work cited by the committee was documented in his comprehensive 1939 book, "An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure."

After leaving India, Chandrasekhar spent the vast majority of his academic career at the University of Chicago. He joined the faculty in 1937 and remained there for nearly 60 years until his death in 1995. He also worked closely with the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, where he made significant contributions to astrophysics.

Yes, in 1935, Chandrasekhar's findings on the white dwarf mass limit were publicly mocked by the prominent British astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington. Eddington dismissed the idea that stars could collapse into black holes, a concept implied by the Chandrasekhar limit. This severe professional rejection delayed the acceptance of Chandrasekhar's theory for decades, though his math was eventually proven completely correct.