Eddington limit

British

/ ˈɛdɪŋtən /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Eddington limit

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

Example Sentences

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Eddington limit

The results point to a supermassive black hole that existed about 12 billion years ago and is accreting matter at roughly 13 times the Eddington limit, based on X-ray measurements.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026

This theoretical cap is known as the Eddington limit.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026

Just before the planned observations, GX13+1 unexpectedly brightened and reached or even surpassed the Eddington limit.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2025

At the Eddington limit, the high-energy light being produced can drive almost all of the infalling matter back into space as a wind.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2025

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 ● Sep. 29, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023