08-15-2019, 05:35 PM
dan_c - I think the limit is less for black-hole formation, three or four solar masses, but will double-check. Things change over time as we better understand the physics of the universe.
For instance, as a student I was taught the "Eddington Limit", i.e., stars couldn't be more massive than about 100 solar masses because they would be too unstable and basically blow themselves to bits before they settled down to become stars. Things have changed over the last couple of decades but there is still a limit. If I recall correctly, the Eddington limit was based on a star made of pure hydrogen which is not the case in reality. However, we have now observed a few stars that are more massive than this theory allows, so there are other factors in play.
Thanks for your interest!
For instance, as a student I was taught the "Eddington Limit", i.e., stars couldn't be more massive than about 100 solar masses because they would be too unstable and basically blow themselves to bits before they settled down to become stars. Things have changed over the last couple of decades but there is still a limit. If I recall correctly, the Eddington limit was based on a star made of pure hydrogen which is not the case in reality. However, we have now observed a few stars that are more massive than this theory allows, so there are other factors in play.
Thanks for your interest!