Interactive exploration of the mass limits that determine whether a stellar remnant becomes a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
Learn MotionBlack Holes: Physics, Structure, and Theory
Formation and Astrophysical Evidence
Chandrasekhar and TOV Limits
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Not all collapsed stars become black holes. Use the slider to adjust the core mass. Below 1.4 solar masses, you get a white dwarf. Between 1.4 and roughly 2-3 solar masses, neutron degeneracy pressure holds, forming a neutron star. Above the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit, no force can stop the collapse, and a black hole forms.
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