Free Eddington Luminosity Calculator
Compute the Eddington luminosity, the maximum luminosity a body can achieve when radiation pressure balances gravity: L_Edd = 4 pi G M c / kappa.
kg
Eddington Luminosity
14,708,643,955,456,562,000,000,000,000,000.000 W
In Solar Luminosities38,423.83 L_sun
Eddington Luminosity vs Object Mass
The Eddington Luminosity
The maximum luminosity where radiation pressure on infalling matter balances gravitational attraction.
Formula
L_Edd = 4π G M c / κ
Using electron-scattering opacity κ ≈ 0.034 m²/kg for ionised hydrogen. For a solar-mass object, L_Edd ≈ 3.3 × 10⁴ L_sun.
Exceeding L_Edd causes radiation-driven mass loss (stellar winds, super-Eddington outbursts).
Example Calculation
A 1-solar-mass object.
- 01L_Edd = 4π G M c / κ
- 02= 4π × 6.674e-11 × 1.989e30 × 2.998e8 / 0.034
- 03Numerator = 4π × 3.979e28 = 4.988e29
- 04L_Edd = 4.988e29 / 0.034 ≈ 1.47e31 W ≈ 38 300 L_sun