What is the approximate Chandrasekhar limit for a white dwarf?

The approximate Chandrasekhar limit for a white dwarf is 1.4 solar masses.

The Chandrasekhar limit is the maximum mass that a nonrotating white dwarf can support against gravitational collapse through electron degeneracy pressure. It is approximately 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, although the exact value depends on composition and physical assumptions.

Indian astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar developed the theory in the 1930s. His calculations showed that sufficiently massive stellar remnants could not remain stable as ordinary white dwarfs. The work initially met strong resistance, but it became fundamental to modern stellar evolution.

A white dwarf below the limit can remain supported for extremely long times. If it gains enough material from a companion or merges with another white dwarf, it may approach the limit and undergo a thermonuclear Type Ia supernova, or collapse through another pathway depending on its conditions.