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Eddington Luminosity

The maximum steady luminosity before radiation blows a star apart.

Formula

LEdd=4πGMmpcσTL_{Edd} = \frac{4\pi G M m_p c}{\sigma_T}

Variables

MMass
m_pProton mass
\sigma_TThomson cross-section

Example

≈ 1.26×10³¹ W for each solar mass

Did You Know?

Beyond this limit radiation pressure overwhelms gravity, capping how fast black holes and massive stars can grow.

starsradiationlimit